PRACTICAL TREATISE 

ON THE 

CULTURE AND TREATMENT 

OP THE 

GRAPE VINE: 

BMBRACmG 



ITS HISTORY, WITH DIRECTIONS FOR ITS TREATMENT, IN THE UNITED 

STATES OF AMERICA, IN THE OPEN AIR, AND UNDER GLASS 

STRUCTURES, WITH AND WITHOUT ARTIFICIAL HEAT, 



/ 

BY J. FISK ^LLEN. 



THIRD EDITION-ENLARGED AND REVISED. 



NEW YORK: 
C. M. SAX TON, 

AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHER. 

1853. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, hj 
C. M. SAXTON, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the South- 
ern District of New York. 



S. W. BENEDICT, 
Sterkotyper and Pri.n-tkb, 
16 Spj-wce atreet, N. Y. 



N 



Intobux&ii U % ®|irir tfiri&it. 



The first edition of^ this treatise was prepared at the 
Guggestion of some friends and other gentlemen ; it was 
intended for use more particularly in Massachusetts and 
the neighboring States. It has had a more extensive 
circulation, and, from questions proposed to me from dis- 
tant States in this Union, as also by direct request, I have 
been induced to prepare a second, and again a third 
edition, enlarged by notes of my own, explanatory of the 
first, and by copious extracts from such sources as would 
present most, if not all, of the various conflicting views 
respecting the cultivation of the grape. 

In giving the opinions of others, it has been my endeavor 
to embrace as great a period of time as possible, that the 
difference in those now held, if any, might be seen ; to 
attain this object, when by so doing, I could retain the 
ideas of those quoted, such parts have been extracted as 
contained selections from previous authors. In the re- 
marks on these opinions and systems, their bearing upon 
the culture, in this country, has been mainly considered, 



iV INTRODUCTION. 

and they have been made with the object of conveying 
information, and not with the idea of criticising them. 
Circumstances of climate, or location, may render a prac- 
tice successful in one country, that may be highly impro- 
per in one differently situated. 

In the first edition, it was the plan to give a concise ac- 
count of my own practice, as a system to be followed by 
others, without giving the reasons therefor. It was well 
known, in the vicinity of the city where my residence 
was, and where it was presumed this treatise would cir- 
culate chiefly, that, for several years, I had been expe- 
rimenting upon the different plans recommended, (and 
which l^ad caused me so much perplexity in the selecting 
of the most suitable for this climate,) in order that I 
could fix upon one worthy of general adoption. To spare 
other cultivators this perplexity, very little was said of 
soils and manures ; a compost was recommended as suit- 
able, and a substitute named, in case the materials in the 
former could not readily be obtained. Of the systems of 
training and pruning, all that could be of use was given, 
and the advantages and disadvantages appertaining to 
each were noticed. 

In the present edition, it has been my plan to give all 
shades of opinion, for every variety of climate ; that, 
wherever located, some remarks might be found appro- 
priate to the situation, provided it is within the latitude 
suited to grape culture. My own opinions are fully ex- 
pressed, and, as the views of others have been added, 



INTRODUCTION. V 

also, and wherein we differ freely stated, the reader can 
select for his own adoption, that system which recom- 
mends itself as the best to his mind. 

This treatise is not offered to the public as containing 
anything new, but simply as recommending a plan which 
has operated well with the author ; it is intended as a 
guide to the person entirely unacquainted with the grape 
culture, and for the benefit more especially of those liv- 
ing remote from cities, in newly settled places. This will 
explain, why matters, which appear to the experienced 
of small account, have been so particularly noticed ; it 
has given occasion to some repetition also, but I thought 
it best to err on this side, than that there should be any 
want of plain explanation of my meaning. Rules have 
been given for the propagation of the vine, the planting 
out, pruning, training, and other routine duties. 

Yiews of grape-houses, with minute descriptions of the 
manner of building and warming them, and every little 
matter which could be supposed to occur to one unaccus- 
tomed to the subject, have been added. - 

The subject of soils and manures has received the 
largest share of attention ; pruning and training, when 
compared with the above, are secondary affairs, as the 
vine, if well located, in suitable compost, will do well 
under any system judiciously practiced. In treating 
these matters, I have endeavored to keep distinct the sub- 
jects of compost for the border of the grape-house, and 
the soil suitable for the vineyard. I have not alwaj^ 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

succeeded in doing so, nor is it a matter of mncli conse- 
quence, for what is suitable in the one case, can hardly 
be injurious in the other ; it is not to be presumed, how- 
ever, that the same labor and care will be bestowed on 
the preparation of the soil for the vineyard, that one 
would give to the border for the grapery. 

The material of the former edition, which is simply 
the details of my practice, is, in this, unchanged ; when 
necessary, rather than alter the original, notes explana- 
tory have been added. 

I will state here, as an explanation for any repetition, 
or for the want of more system in the arrangement of 
the matter, that the work has been performed little by 
little, as I could spare an hour from other labors ; and, 
the present edition being an enlargement of the former, 
the matter now added is introduced where it could best 
be under these circumstances. 

Salem, Mass., January, 1853. 



|ntoi(itdi0ii ia % Jfbt ^bitki. 



There are several works published in England, written 
by practical men, giving ample directions for the cultiva- 
tion of the grape in that country ; but the climate of the 
ISTorthern States of America is so different from that of 
England, that, however well calculated these directions 
may be for the latter, they can hardly be expected to suit 
the former. The temperature of England is milder, and 
is not subject to the great extremes of heat and cold 
which we experience. The searching northwesterly winds, 
which prevail with us in 'New England in the winter and 
early spring months, with the mercury often at zero, and 
even below that point, and the sudden changes we are 
liable to, in this season of the year, often equal to forty 
degrees in a few hours, render the care requisite, for the 
successful forced culture of fruit, very great, and the pro- 
cess a more difficult one, in this country, than in En- 
gland.* 



* Mr. Hovey, in his Magazine of Horticulture, quotes tJie above pas^ge, 
with this remark relative thereto : "In regard to the ' more difficult ' pro- 



Vm INTKODUCTION. 

Do not build a grapery under the erroneous impres- 
sion, that, having done so, and planted the vines, you 
have secured to yourself, without further labor, a boun- 

cess of producing the grape, in this country, the author undoubtedly alludea 
to early forcing ; for we apprehend that, in cold houses, the process requires 
as little care, if not much less, than in England." I cannot imagine how 
any one could doubt the meaning of this expression ; for, after mentioning 
the extreme changes in winter and spring, the mercury falling to zero, 
{which it can* never he expected to do when the grapes are growing in a cold 
house,) is added these words: "render the care requisite, for the successful 
FORCED culture of fruit, very great, and the process a more difficult one," 
&c. If Mr. Hovey considers growing grapes under glass, without fire heat, 
forcing them, he differs from me, in what forcing is. (See Remarks oa 
Forcing.) 

The care necessary, is in the regulation of the temperature of the Forcing 
House in the daytime, under the particular circumstances referred to. Good 
judgment, some experience, and much caution, are requisite in the proper 
ventilation of the house at these times. For instance, the mercury, in the 
open air, has been, during the night, 5° or 10° below zero; to keep the 
temperature of the house at 45" or 50°, at sunrise, you must have the flues, 
or water-pipes, hot ; as soon as the sun shines, as it frequently does in win- 
ter as well as in the summer, with great brilliancy upon the glass, the heat 
rapidly accumulates, and the mercury is soon, at 90° or 100°. The tempera- 
ture in the open air may bo at zero, or from that point up to 20°. Now, 
here is the difficulty ; if the top lights, or any other ventilators are opened 
so as to allow a current of this cold air to flow over the vines, the fruit thus 
exposed will perish, and if you suffer this very high temperature, when 80° 
or 85° is the highest point you should allow, the vines will be unduly ex- 
cited, and consequently very liable to a check, when the temperature falls. 
The foliage may not show, at the time, any bad effects from this cold air, but 
soon the young bunches will turn yellow and drop. " "What is the matter 
with my vines ?" (is a question which is often put to me,) '' they pushed very 
strong, and showed fine buncnes of fruit, but the most of them have dried 
up and dropped." They have at some time received a check to the flow of 
the sap, and the effect of this, in the first seventy days of forcing, will al- 
ways be the loss of the crop. Having small ventilators, and opening the 
lights but very little, with every precaution that can be used, under the cir- 
cumstances, to remedy and prevent the too much heat, and the admission 
of a current of the cold air, is the only way to avoid any iU efifects from such 
eauses. 



INTI10DUC5TI0N-. IX 

tiful supply of fruit ; if you do so, you must be sadly 
disappointed. , 

Probably there is no plant so sure of yielding an an- 
nual crop as the grape, under rjglit management ; but 
this is absolutely necessary, to insure success. 

The attempt has been made to give plain rules, which 
may be easily understood, and the practical operation of 
which can be carried out with as little labor as the 
proper cultivation of the grape, under glass, will permit. 

The following directions are intended for those who 
may desire to cultivate this fruit, for their owm pleasure 
or convenience, and do not wish to incur the expense of 
a regularly educated gardener, and who have felt the 
want of a concise and simple explanation of the pro- 
cess, and the rules by which these operations of forcing 
and of growing grapes, under glass structures, can be 
carried out. 

The treatment recommended is such as has been found 

Mr. A. Forsyth, in a diary of the culture of tlie grape in a forcing-house, 
at East Barnet, in Herts, puhhslied in Loudon's Magazine, page 548, vol. 
10th, makes thcvse remarks relative to the v^^eather: "December the 15th, 
weather favorable ; the nights often 50° or 52^ ; seldom under 40°. We 
have had only four frosts ; the most intense, as low as 26°." A diary of 
the forcing-house kept by myself, on the fifteen first daj^s of December, has 
five or six days when the cold is said to be very severe, below zero or 
about it ; and several days, when it was mild by day, the mercury fell to 
16° and 18° at night. In any degree of cold at night, if the beating ar- 
rangements are suitable, the temperature, with proper care, can be easily 
regulated. That there is a vast difference in the attention required when 
the mercury ranges from 20° to 48° above zei*©, or when it is as lov/ as 6" 
or 10° below, any one havmg had experience in such matters will readily 
admit. 

1* 



X INTRODUCTION. 

to be the best, after many years' experience, in its culti- 
vation; during which time, the different systems of 
pruning have been all tried, and many of the vineyards 
in France, and on the Khine, in Italy, and other 
countries have been visited, and the manner of pruning, 
the varieties of soil, and the amount of fruit which a vine 
is permitted to ripen, have been examined and ascer- 
tained. 

The disadvantages we labor under, in this country, in 
forcing fruit, from the extreme coldness of the weather 
in winter, are counterbalanced, in some degree, by the 
superior brilliancy of the sun, and consequent dryness of 
the atmosphere, at the time of ripening, which give a 
flavor to the fruit, such as it can rarely be made to attain 
in the moist, dull, and cloudy weather of England."^ 
The variations of the temperature are always indicated 
by a Fahrenheit thermometer. 

* I find that I have not always been here rightly understood. The idea 
intended to be expressed is, that the natural advantages of our climate 
over that of England, in respect to the atmosphere, are very much in our 
favor. Most seasons, the grapes produced in this country in houses with- 
out fire heat, are equally well flavored as those grown with artificial heat. 
The forced fruits of England, grapes, pine apples, and cherries, are very 
superior. I have never, in any country, eaten better, particularly the pine 
apples, which are richer in flavor than any I have ever tasted in the East 
Indies. 



iistorg 0f % §x^t Wm. 



The vine is known to have existed from the earliest 
time of which we have record. Extracts from different 
sources, giving its history and the time and manner of its 
introduction into Europe, are annexed. 

The variety of the grape from which have originated 
all the kinds cultivated as European sorts in this 
country, came first from Asia. For many centuries it 
has been cultivated in the warm and temperate latitudes 
of Europe. 

The vine is also indigenous to America ; it is found, 
in its wild state, over a very large extent of country in 
great variety, and growing to the tops of the highest 
trees, in the season of inflorescence filling the air with 
its perfume. 

In America, we cultivate, generally, two species of 
the grape, the Yitis vinefera, which is the type of what 
we call the European varieties ; and the Yitis labrusca, 
■ — of this species are the Isabella and Catawba, native 
sorts. 

The grape has been cultivated in all ages, and held in 



xii HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VIFE. 

high estimation. The generally-received opinion of the 
manner of its introduction into Europe is, that it made 
gradual approaches by the way of the Mediterranean 
Sea, the Phoenicians first carrying it into the . islands 
there, from whence it spread into Italy, Spain, France, 
and Portugal, and thence north through France, Switzer- 
land, England, &c., &c. ; from all these countries we 
have received, in the United States, our varieties of this 
species. It lives to a great age, and forms wood capa- 
ble of being serviceable in the arts. The cultivation of 
the grape, in its northern extent, is not confined to a 
certain parallel of latitude. It has been observed in 
Europe, that, as you go east, the cultivation of this plant 
extends to the north. Arthur Young says, that, in 
France, the difference is 2° of heat in the same parallel. 
In the United States of America, the difference of cli- 
mate is also found, but operating in a reversed manner. 
In the same latitude, as we go west, is found a milder 
climate, particularly after passing the Alleghanies, and, 
on the Pacific, it is yet more mild. At Fort Yancouver, 
which, is five degrees north of Kew York, the tempera- 
ture is so mild that, in winter, the mercury falls but a 
few times below freezing. 

" Grape Yine. Vitis. 

" The generic name is derived from vincirc, to bind. 
Every part of the Scriptures mentions the vine as being 
held in the highest estimation. !N"oah planted vineyards 
and made wine. They are mentioned among the bless- 



HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. Xlll 

ings of the promised land, ' a land of wheat, and barley, 
and vines,' etc. 

" At what exact period the vine was first cultivated in 
England, is uncertain ; but we conclude it was as early 
as about the tenth year, A. D., as, at that time, the Ro- 
mans had possession of a great part of this island, and 
had introduced the luxuries of Italy wherever they set- 
tled. Many authors are of opinion that it was not intro- 
duced into this country until about the year 280. 

" That we are indebted to the Romans for the first in- 
troduction of the vine is generally allowed, although it is 
jjossible it might have been introduced at a much earlier 
period than we have stated, as the Phoenicians are said 
to have planted the vine in the isles of the Mediterranean 
Sea, as well as in several parts of Europe and Africa ; 
and as we have accounts of their trading to Britain, for 
tin, they might have planted it on the English coast 
also. But this must remain a matter of conjecture any 
farther than as it confirms the vine to have been origi- 
nally brought from Palestine. In the Book of jN^umbers 
we find that the me«n whom Moses had sent to spy 
the land of Canaan, returned with a bunch of grapes 
which they bare between two, upon a staff*. 

'' The Damascus grapes, at the present time, are often 
found to weigh upwards of twenty-five pounds tlie 
bunch. In the accounts from .zEsiidus Yan Eo-niont, en- 
voy from the States to the King of ISTaples, and John 
I''"'^^'man, professor of the oriental languages in the uni- 



xiv HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. 

versitj of Ley den, who have published their observations 
on the present state of Asia Minor, it is mentioned that, 
in the town called Sedonijah, which is four hours jour- 
ney from Daaiascus, some of the grapes were as large as 
pigeons' eggs, and of a very exquisite taste. From these 
circumstances, we may fairly conclude that the vine is a 
native of Syria. 

" Although wine is not made in Egypt, vines are 
much cultivated, and the grapes have a delicious per- 
fume. 

" Pliny concludes that the vine was very rare in Italy 
in the time of Numa, and, to encourage the pruning of 
vines, he prohibited the use of any wines, in sacrifices 
to the gods, that were cut from vines which had not 
been pruned. 

" It was not until about the year 270, that the vine 
was planted in the northern parts of Gaul, and about the 
rivers Khine, Maine, and Moselle, and in Hungary. 

" The various wines made from the grape are very nu- 
merous. Pliny says, in his day there were eighty kinds 
of the best. 

" The island of Madeira was planted with the vine, 
from cuttings brought from Cyprus, in the year 1420, 
when the island was first discovered. The Rhenish 
vine has also been planted there. 

'' The Cape of Good Hope has been planted with vines 
from the Rhine, Persia, and other countries. 

"The juice of the ripe grape (says Dr. Darwin) is a 



HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. XV 

nutritive anil agreeable food, consisting chiefly of sugar 
and mucilage. The chemical process of fermentation 
converts the sugar into spirit ; converts food into poison. 

" It has been observed, that all the vineyards in Ger- 
many, beyond the 51st degree of latitude, are dubious." 
— Phillips's Companion to the Orchard. London, new 
cd. 1831. 

" Pliny states that the vines in Italy would climb to 
the very top and even out-top the highest poplars ; on 
which account the grape-gatherers, in tfme of vintage, 
put a clause in the covenant of their bargains when they 
were hired, that, in case their foot should slip and their 
necks be broken, their masters should give orders for 
their funeral fire and tomb at their own expense. 

" Ancient naturalists and modern travelers agree in 
their accounts of the long life and immense size to which 
the vine attains in its wild state. Statues have been 
carved from its wood, pillars have been made from it, 
and the large doors of the cathedral of Ravenna are also 
made from this wood. Large tables have been made of 
a single plank. Pliny gives an account of a vine six 
hundred years old." — Chaptal^ p. 142. 

" Miller says, of the vines in Italy, that, in some parts 
of that country, a vine is considered young at one hun- 
dred years, and that there are plants in existence which 
have been cultivated three hundred years." — Chaptal. 

" The Burgundy wine has been celebrated for its supe- 
rior quality certainly as far back as the 13th century. 



XVI HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. 

The kings of France have interested themselves in the 
planting of vines in their domains. There is proof that 
Charlemagne had attached to the palaces which he in- 
habited, vineyards, and the necessary instruments for 
making wine ; and there you might behold the sovereign 
enter upon the details of the management with the over- 
seer. 

"The garden of the Louvre, as of the other royal 
houses, has contained vines since the year 1160. Louis 
the young allowed annually, from their produce, six 
hogsheads of wine to the rector of St. Nicholas. 

" Philippe Augustus, as shown by the aecount of the 
revenues for the year 1200, reported by Bussel, possessed 
vineyards in Bourges, Soisons, Com.peigne, Laon, Beau- 
vais, Auxerne, Corbeil, Betise, Orleans, Moret, Poissi, 
Gien, Anet, Charlevane, Yerberries, Fontainbleau, Bure- 
cour, Mili, and several other parts of France." — Chaptal. 
" The vine was introduced by the Phoenicians into 
cultivation in Europe by the way of the Mediterranean 
islands, Italy, and Marseilles." — Charted. 

" From the remotest records of antiquity, the vine has 
been celebrated as the type of plenty and the symbol of 
happiness. The pages of Scripture abound with allu- 
sions to the fertility of the vine, as emblematical of pros- 
perity ; and it is declared, in describing the peaceful 
and flourishing state of the kingdom of Israel, during 
the reign of Solomon, that ' Judah and Israel dwelt 
safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree.' 



HISTORY OF THE GRAPE VINE. XVll 

It is supposed to have been introduced into Britain at 
the commencement of the Christian era, and history 
amply proves that, for a long series of ages, vineyards 
were very common in the southern parts of the island, 
and that the quantity of wine produced from them was 
so great as to be considered one of the staple products of 
the land." — Clement Roare. London^ 1837. 

Konisburgh, in north latitude, nearly 65°, is considered 
the limit at which the grape will ripen in Europe. 

Humboldt has observed, that the best wines are pro- 
duced from vineyards situated in the interior, away from 
the sea-board, and remarks, that the cause does not alone 
reside in the lower summer temperature of the coasts, 
but attributes the difference to the light, from a clearer 
state of the heavens. He also says, " to have palatable 
wine, not only must the mean annual temperature ex- 
ceed 49° 65', but that the mean winter cold must not 
fall quite to the freezing point, 33° 4', and this must be 
followed by a mean summer heat of at least 64° 4'." 



C|e <lnlim fd % §xnp. 



SITUATION OF THE GEAPERT. 

First in order, and of the utmost importance, is the 
situation of the house. It must be so located, that stag- 
nant water will not remain on the border, or within reach 
of the roots of the vine. 

If you cannot avoid building the house where water is 
found to stand two or three feet under the surface, then 
the soil should be thrown out the whole length and 
breadth of the border, eighteen inches deep, and the bot- 
tom paved with stone or brick, so as effectually to prevent 
the roots penetrating through it to the water. Make the 
border on this, as directed hereafter ; this will raise the 
top of the soil eighteen inches above the level of the ad- 
joining surface. 



20 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



ASPECT FOR THE GRAPERY. 

The house should front the south ; a slight variation, 
provided it is to the east, so as to receive the morning 
sun, will be no objection.* 

In the Gardeners' Chronicle of 1847, page 734, is an 
account of some grapes exhibited at the Horticultural 
Show, " raised in the city of London, under a glass case, 
without fire heat, in an aspect nearly northwest, and 
where they received only about one hour's sun in the lat- 
ter part of the day ; they were a small black kind, and 
well colored, a fact corroborative of the opinion now en- 
tertained, that grapes should be sheltered from the direct 
rays of the sun upon the fruit." 

Mr. Hovey, the Editor of the Magazine of Horticul- 
ture, does not agree with me, in the opinion before ex- 
pressed, relative to the aspect for the grapery. In a no- 
tice of the first edition of this work, he says, " Not so, 
however, (all important,) the direction, Vthat the house 
should front the south,' or ' a slight variation, provided it 
is to the east.' If forcing was only to be the object, this 
would hold true ; but, for the ordinary culture of the 
grape, either with or without heat, it is by^no means ne- 
cessary. In our bright climate, any position but a north- 

* Cultivators of the grape have usually advised this position for the front 
of the house ; several persons, who have had practical experience, would 
prefer that it should front south ten or fifteen degrees east, or even south- 
southeast. 

" Every house for the purpose of forcing or growing fruit should stand 
on a foundation naturally dry or effectually drained. As to aspect, the 
standard principle is, to set the front directly to the south." — Ahercromhie. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 21 

ern one will enable the cultivator to produce the most de- 
licious grapes." I have houses fronting northeast and 
southwest, (of course, with such as^^ect, the houses are 
glass on all sides,) east and west, southeast and northwest, 
and the other intervening points of the compass. I have 
carefully noted the effect of the different positions, and 
can, in the strongest language, recommend the aspect of 
south, inclining a little to east, as the best. Southeast is 
the next best ; and east-southeast is preferable to south- 
west. The front of a house exposed to the west winds 
(which are our coldest in winter and spring,) is liable to a 
very low temperature till the sun suddenly shines upon 
it, and then comes a sudden and rapid accumulation of 
heat, very prejudicial to the welfare of the vines. I do 
not wish to be understood as saying that grapes cannot be 
grown in any but just such a position ; I know that they 
can be ; but the care requisite, and the chances of failure, 
are greater in ratio as the house in its aspect deviates 
from the best position. These remarks apply particularly 
to the northern states ; in the middle and southern, it may 
be advantageous to avoid the great heat of the sun, if it 
is intended to grow grapes under glass, and that in such 
a position the best aspect for the front of the grapery may 
be west-northwest. 



THE HOUSE. 

The common lean-to house is the best for forcing ; from 
thirteen to fifteen feet high on the back, fom' feet on the 
front, and twelve feet wide on the inside, are suitable pro- 



22 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

portions ; the length of it can be as desired, from twenty 
to one hundred feet or more. 

The front of the house should be framed, the sills 
standing on, and secured to, stone, or locust posts, set 
four or five feet under ground, and eight feet apart, thus 
giving the roots freedom to roam at pleasure. The floor of 
the house should be on a level with the surface of ttie 
border. The back wall may be either of brick or wood. 
If the house is to be used for forcing fruit, it should have 
a double wall on the back. A span-roofed house is the 
best for a cold grapery.* It should be, above the sills, 
on all sides of glass, and of the following dimensions : — 
twenty feet wide, and of any length desired ; the upright 
sides above the sills, six feet high ; the rafters should be 

* " In a span-roofed house sixty feet long, the south side glazed, the 
north, wood and asphalte, vines will not do well under the latter. Better 
glaze the north span ; but, depend upon it, you would do better still were 
you to add another sixty feet to the length, and so form one hundred and 
twenty feet of roof facing the south, instead of emplojing the same quan- 
tity of glass for a house half the length with a double aspect ; and the more 
especially, if it is intended for early forcing." — Gardeners' Chronicle, p. 696, 
Oct. 1846. 

A house of this construction is not suitable for forcing grapes, it being all 
of glass, and consequently so open to the admittance of air in very cold, 
windy weather, that it is very diflacult to avoid such extremes of temperar 
ture as will be injurious to vines. If peaches or cherries are to be forced, 
Buch a house is desirable, and, for many kinds of pot plaij^s, no better can 
be had. With respect to the correctness of the opinion expressed above, 
that it is better to build a house of double the length, with the same quan- 
tity of glass, it depends upon what uses the house is to be put to. As a 
cold grapery, and as a house where the vines are aided by artificial heat, 
(but not forced,) it is superior in its arrangements to the lean-to house, and, 
under the same circumstances, will perfect its crop ten or fifteen days sooner, 
and will yield a larger amount of fruit on a given space. It is more liable 
to damage from hail and frost. (See description of one of my span-roofed 
houses.) 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 28 

twelve feet long ; this will make the height of the house, 
at the ridge-pole, or centre, on the inside, fourteen feet. 
The sills must be secured to stone, or locust posts, placed 
eight feet apart, and sufficiently deep in the soil to be free 
from danger of being thrown by the frost. Place the 
house fronting south-southeast. You may plant three sets 
of vines, — one in the centre, and one on each side. Upon 
a house of this description, the sun's rays will rest from 
morning until evening, and the crop will come rapidly to 
maturity. 

At the time of writing the above, I had a span grapery 
twenty-two feet wide on the inside, (see view of this 
house,) which had four sets of vines planted in it ; at that 
time, it was a matter of doubt with me whether or not 
the vines were too much crowded ; since then, they have 
matured a fine crop of grapes, and the fruit on the two 
inside sets of vines was fully equal in quality and quan- 
tity to those where the roots were in the open border, and 
had more room to ramble and extend themselves. The 
present summer, these inside vines have upon them a 
very heavy crop ; each vine having shown from fifty to 
one hundred large and handsome bunches. They will not 
be allowed to mature more than from six bunches for the 
Syrian, up to twenty for the Hamburgh, being only in 
the fourth season. When the vines are fully established, 
the grapes will hang from the sill to the ridgepole, and 
present a beautiful appearance. If there is ample room, 
I would substitute this house for the one twenty feet wide, 
and with only three sets of vines. This house at the pre- 
sent time has now been four years longer in bearing, and 
the vines continue to do well, the inside ones being allow- 



24 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

ed to bear ten to fifteen bunches each, the outside ones 
twenty to thirty. 



GLASS HOUSES HOW CONSTRUCTED. 

Glass houses, for horticultural purposes, may be con- 
structed in a great variety of forms, to suit the particular 
circumstances of the place, or ground where it is to be 
located. 

It is important to have as little obstruction to the admis- 
sion of light, and as little solid wood work, as is consistent 
with a proper degree of strength in the frame and sashes 
which are to support the glass, as possible. It is also im-. 
portant, in frigid climates, to guard against the admission 
of cold, or the escape of heat ; consequently, the ends 
and the back, or the north side of the house, are usually 
built of wood, stone, or brick. Oiled paper and cloth, 
and other preparations on cloth, have been used for cover- 
ing the roof, but with no good result ; glass is the only 
article that can be used to advantage. To admit air, 
which is essential to the flavor of the fruit, and the well- 
being of the plant, the front lights, or windows, as also 
the upper part of the roof-sashes, are made to open out, 
or to run on rollers. 

The curvilinear roof is approved by many. The fol- 
lowing description of some houses of my own, which 
answer the purpose for which they were constructed 
perfectly well, and the manner of building them, toge- 
ther with the cost, accompanied with a view of these, is 
deemed sufficient for this treatise. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRiiPE. 25 

The account of the cost of two houses, built by other 
gentlemen, that are so very unlike mine in their dimen- 
sions, has been added, as they may be the means of af 
fording the information wanted, in some instances. 

The following is a description of the plan and the 
manner of building of the span-roofed grapery, which is 
represented in the drawing as in full fruit, in September.* 
This is not heated by artificial means, and is what is usu- 
ally called a cold house. 

After the border was prepared, the stone posts were 
placed upright, the bottojns of tliem being three to four 
feet deep in the soil, and eight feet apart. Holes are 
drilled about one and a half inches in the sides of these 
stones, to whicli the sills are secured by pieces of iron, 
with the head flattened so as to be nailed to the timber, 
and the end bent to hook into the hole ; the posts should 
not be less than six inches square. (Wooden posts, or 
brick piers, may be substituted for the stone ; the former 
will soon decay, and, if the latter are used, they should 
be eight by twelve inches ; the stones are best.) The di- 
mensions of this house are as follows : twenty-two feet 
wide ; fourteen and one half feet high, on the inside, at 
the ridge-pole ; and a little short of eighty feet in length. 
On the posts are placed the sills, (as above described,) 
which are six or eight inches above the top of the 

* See frontispiece. Tlie view v/as taken from the northAvest door, and 
just within the graperj-, as the object was simply to give an idea of tho 
house, and the arrangement of the vines. No attention was paid to the 
proportions. Tliis house is now used as a retarding one, and has a furnace 
and boiler, with pipes for circulating hot water, which are used in October, 
November, and December, to ripen and preserve the grapes. 



26 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE 

ground ; to the sill is nailed, covering abont two inches 
of it and going down two inches into the earth, thick 
plank, finished v/ith a bevel, like a water table. This, 
from the top of the sill to the earth, makes a solid work 
of at least twelve inches, which is necessary, as glass so 
near the earth wonld be very liable to be broken, and 
would also be covered with the soil spattered up by the 
rain. In winter, it will be prudent to tack or otherwise 
secure above this, boards, one foot in width, to prevent 
the breakage of the glass from the ice and snow falling 
from the roof. 

The sills are of timber six inches square. All the 
measurements are after the work is finished. j 

The timber which forms the support for the raftere, ^ 
and is immediately over the sill, and called the plate, is , 
five inches thick by six inches wide. The studs or up- •, 
right pieces, which support this plate, are of plank two • 
inches thick by six inches wide, and are mortised into ' 
the sill and plate, and secured by wooden pins. The sill 
and plate are carried round the four sides of the house j 
on a level, and are secured together; this makes the ■ 
frame, thus far, very firm, and prevents the two ends 
fi'om i3ressing in or out from any cause. Before the roof j 
was put on, the plate was strengthened and braced, and 
kept in place by iron rods one inch thick and about 
fifteen feet apart, which are run through it and fastened 
by nuts, and crossing the house. 

A cleat, five eighths of an inch in thickness and one , 
inch wide, was nailed on the sill, and plate, and studs, 
to form a rabbet for the sashes ; these are placed in, from 
the outer side, so that the sashes, when closed, are on the 



TIIE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 27 

eiime line witli tlie oritside of the studs. The comer 
posts are six inches square. The height of the studs, 
between the sill and the plate, is six feet one inch. 
(They must be made longer, to allow for the part used in 
the mortise.) The upright sashes are three feet ten 
inches wide, and six feet one inch long, and glazed, with 
six by eight glass. The stiles, or side pieces of the 
sashes, are two and one fourth inches wide^ and one and 
three eighths inches thick, and the rails, or top and bot- 
tom pieces, are two and three fourths wide ; the inside 
pieces, of which there are four, are one and three eighths 
inches wide, and seven eighths of an inch thick ; they 
are rabbeted to take the glass ; they go from top to bot- 
tom. There are no cross-pieces used for glazing, but this 
is begun at the bottom of the sash, and. the next glass 
lapped on the first about one fourth of an inch, (not any 
more, as it is more likely to break.) and so on, one above 
the other ; all the sashes are glazed in this manner ; 
there are five rows of glass to a sash. The sashes are 
strengthened in the middle by a ])iece of iron, one inch 
wide and one fourth of an inch thick, which is cut in 
even with the surface of the sash, on the inside, and se- 
cured with a screw in each stile and inside piece which 
supports the glass. These sashes are hung on hinges at 
the top, and open out, and are fastened on the inside 
with ])i8ces of iron one fourth of an incli thick and one 
inch Vv'ide. This is about foua-teen inches Ion;:!;, and it is 
secured to the rail of the sash by a staple ; and, to hold 
the sash closed or open at any desired distance from two 
to ten inches, another staple is driven into the sill ; the 
ii'on plate has holes drilled in it, at distances of two 



28 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

inches from the one that is made to secure the sash, 
when shut, that it can be kejDt open to allow the air to 
enter the liouse as wanted, in greater or smaller quanti- 
ty ; an iron pin secures this i3late to the staple. On the 
ends, the lower sashes are made like the side ones, hut 
they are all stationary. (In this house, only every other 
one of the sashes are made to open ; they can all be so, 
if desired.) The sashes above the plate are made to fit 
the inclination of the roof. 

The roof is formed by rafters made of plank ; they 
are about thirteen feet long, two inches thick, and nine 
inches wide. A strip of wood, the length of the lower 
sash, is nailed to the rafter to support this on the roof. 
Another piece is nailed on the upper part to support the 
other sash ; this must be put on in a line with the lip on 
the lower sash to allow the upper to run over the under 
sash ; this lip is four eighths of an inch thick. On the 
top of the lower sash is a piece of hard pine for the roll- 
ers of the upper to rim over, of which rollers there are 
two on each side of the upper sash ; they are of cast iron, 
secured to an iron plate, and screwed on the under part 
of the stile. The roof-sashes are not of the same length, 
the top ones being made shorter than the lower to run 
up and down more easily, the difference being about two 

feet. 

The bottom rail of the lower sash of the roof is four 
and one half inches wide ;. the top rail is two and three 
fourths inches; the stile is two and one fourth inches 
wide, and one and three eighths thick ; this is nailed at 
the bottom to the plate, and on the side to the rafters. 

In the upper sash, the stiles are the same as in the un- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 29 

der, and tlie mils are both alike, — two and three fourths 
inches wide ; the inside pieces in both sashes are of the 
same dimensions as the upright ones, and, in all, are 
bevelled off, instead of a moulding, to about three eighths 
of an inch in the center. Both sashes are strengthened 
with iron rods, let in even with the surface of the under 
part of the wood work, and screwed to each stile and in- 
side piece, as are the upright ones ; the glass is glazed in 
the same wav. 

The center, or ridge-piece, to which the rafters are let 
in and secured, is a plank two inches thick and ten inch- 
es wide ; tlie groove for each rafter to rest in is about 
three eighths of an inch deep ; they are fastened togeth- 
er by nails ; between the rafters, for the sash to rest on, 
is a piece of plank. As the means of lowering or shut- 
ting the upper light, or sash, a staple is placed in the 
ridge-piece, to which is fastened the end of a line, that 
is then led through a side pulley on the sash, and thence 
through a standing pulley on the ridge-pole to the floor, 
where it is secured. (Or, what is better, have a weight 
of six, eight, or ten pounds attached, as may be necessa- 
ry.) The pulleys are of iron, and screwed on to the 
wood. The finish of the ridge-piece is with a capping of 
boards, that are of a width to cover the upper part, or 
about an inch of the sash. The v^^ood work of the house 
is simply planed smooth, and painted ; there are no 
beads or mouldings. On the rafters, after the sashes are 
fitted in place, to make a finish, are capping boards of 
suitable width. 

Two doors, two feet eight inches wide, are placed op- 



so THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

posite to each other at the ends ; they are of glass, and 
are made like the upright sashes. 

The above is a description of the manner of building 
the ends and one side of the grapery ; the other half is 
made, in every respect, in the same way. 

The expense of building this house, including the pre- 
paration of the border, which is fifty feet wide, and the 
vines, some of which, being rare, cost high, was about 
§1,000. 

The follov/ing is a description of the manner of con- 
structing a lean-to house with a room extending the 
whole length of it on the back, or north side, to be used 
for the furnace, or other purposes. (See cut.) 

The sill should be set on posts of stone, (both of which 
must be six inches square,) and to extend around on all 
sides of the house alike ; the posts should be three or 
four feet in the earth, and eight feet apart, and the tops 
of them eight to twelve inches above the surface, to keep 
the sill from rotting. On this should be nailed a 23lank, 
extending into the soil an inch or two. You may make 
the width of, this house twelve or fourteen feet ; that is, 
the part of it which is to be covered with glass, and the 
back room from four to seven feet, as may be wanted. 
A partition which is to be made here will require a sill 
and posts, in the same manner as the other parts of the 
building. 

The front plate should be four feet from the top of the 
posts, and four inches thick by six inches wide ; the up- 
right sashes, two feet four inches high, and about tliree 
feet ten inches wide, and one and one fourth inches 
thick, hung on the top with hinges, and made to open 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



81 



out. The studs which support the plate are to be of a 
length proportionate to the sashes, and the wood work be- 
low them, and mortised in. The whole finish of the 
front, and the make of the sashes, and the manner of 
fastening them on the front and on the roof, are to be the 
same as detailed for the span house ; the rollers on the 
windows, and the irons to secure the front sashes, are 
made exactly in the same manner, and put on in the 




^% 



Lean-to Grapery. 

same way. Under the front sasbes, tbere must be about 
eighteen inches of solid wood work joining on to the 
plank which goes from the sill to the earth. 

The rafters should be about seventeen feet long, and 
ten inches deep by two inches thick, to be finished and 
let into the ridge-pole, in the same way as in the span- 
roofed house. The back of the house should be framed, 
boarded, shingled, and plastered on the inside. The 



32 TKS CULTUEE OF THE GEAPE. 

baciv roof, which is -to decline at a proper pitch, should 
be boarded, shingled, and plastered. Under the ridge- 
pole must be the studs to support this, and these should 
be twelve feet in the clear between the ridge-pole and 
the sill, and here should be a double partition of plaster 
to separate the front of the house from the back. The 
rafters and the ridge-pole must be finished with a cap- 
ping board. There are to be two doors, one at each end, 
two feet eight inches wide, of glass ; the ends are also 
best of glass,* and the sashes should be permanently se- 
cured. Gutters may be placed under the roof to lead 
the rainwater where desired. Solid brick work may be 
substituted for the support of the sills, leaving spaces six 
inches square for the stems of the vines to be brought 
through. The back wall may also be built of brick or 
stone, but they would be more costly constructed in this 
way. . 

A house built, as above described, on stone posts, in 
the plainest manner, but of good materials and work- 
manship, and well painted, would cost about eight dol- 
lars per running foot. The heating apparatus would be 
in addition ; also, the expense of preparing the border, 
purchasing the vines, and the planting of them out. The 
cost of the border, and of the heating apparatus, must 
vary according to the natural soil, and the purposes to 
which the house is to be put. ■ Making a border twenty- 
iive or thirty feet wide, and three feet deep, is an expen- 
sive work, and will vary from one to two dollars per foot. 
The same remark will hold true with the heating of the 

* DouIdIg windows, or shutters, should be used on the ends, if the houso 
is for forcinrc. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GBAPE. SB 

house ; a grapery forced in winter, (that is, in December,) 
will, in a severely cold climate, require a very expensive 
aj)paratus ; a furnace and flue, for forvv'arding and pro- 
tecting the vines in the spring or autumn, is a simple and 
cheap affair, and the cost w^iil vary, according to the 
amount of .heat required, from one dollar to three dollars 
per foot. 

I think ten dollars tlie running foot is the lowest price 
at which a plain grapery, with a simple furnace, can he 
built, with vines planted, and all complete ; and this cost 
can be increased, according to the material used in the 
construction of the building, and tlie finish put upon it, 
to twenty dollars the foot. 

The f jUowiug is an account of the cost of a house con- 
structed on the most economical principle, furnished me 
by a friend residing in a city adjoining Boston : — 

" I send you the account of the cost of my graperj^, 
which is thirty-two feet in length, twelve feet in widtli, 
and thirteen feet high on the back, and three feet on the 
front ; and this front is wood work, supported by wood- 
en posts. 

" Cost of sashes, . 



&c., 



Whole cost, .... $225 00 

"My grapery is placed against the back part of my 
2* 







glass, . 






glazing, . 






frame, painting, 






flue. 






border, . 



$25 00 


1^ 


00 


21 


00 


Y5 00 


50 


00 


40 


00 



84 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

lionse, wliicb would make some difference in the ex- 
pense. I have not included the vines, nor the wires for 
the vines to be trained to." 

It will be noticed, that the cost of the back of the 
house is saved in this instance. This would vary accord- 
ing to the finish and kind of back used ; if of the cheap- 
est kind, wood and shingles, and plastered on the inside, 
with a small furnace room, it might be built for sevent}^- 
five dollars ; but, if a room for the furnace and for the 
coal was made running the whole length of the grapery, 
w^liich would be proper in a cold climate, if the house 
was to be used for forcing, the expense would be consid- 
erably greater. 

The cost of a house of this kind, with the back wall, 
would not be less than ten dollars the running foot, and 
this would include every thing, the vines of common 
kinds, and the wires or rods for the trellis. 

The price of labor, in different places, would cause 
some variation in this sum, and a more extensive furnace 
room or building on the rear would add from one to two 
dollars per foot to the cost, according to the kind of room 
or wall constructed. 

The following is an account of the cost of a small 
grapery, on all sides of glass, with a brick foundation, 
furnished me by a gentleman of Salem : — 

" All the space which could be spared for the purpose 
was seventeen square feet. The house is seventeen feet 
in length by nine feet in width. The brick foundation is 
eight inches thick, and two feet high, (with four hanging 
windows in front, of three panes each, seven by nine 
glass,) on which is placed a sill six inches deep. There 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 85 

are five rafters, with a corresponding number of posts on 
tbo back of the house, framed into a plate at the top. 
The inclined sashes are jDermanent ; the angle of inclina- 
tion is fifty degrees. The vertical sashes on the back 
side are nine feet in length. The ventilation is from the 
back, the ends and the front. 

" The border is eight feet wide, well-elevated, fifteen 
inches deep exclusive of a substratum of bones, nine 
inches deep. 

" There are five front vines, which are planted on the 
outside ; four back vines in the alternate spaces, and one 
vine at each end, are planted on the inside. The en- 
trance is at the end of the house by a porch projecting 
three feet, and containing an inner lattice door for venti- 
lation. 

" The house w^oiild be more airy, and better in every 
respect, if twelve feet in width. The border also, if pos- 
sible, should have been twelve or fifteen feet wide, which 
w^ould obviate the necessitv of an annual manuring with 
guano, in order to carry oil the crop well. 

" One hundred and twenty-five pounds of well-ripened 
grapes can be safely calculated upon from such a house 
as the above, as a permanent annual crop ; say five front 
vines at fifteen pounds each, seven back and end vines at 
seven pounds each. With a wider border, the front vines 
would ripen equally well twenty pounds each. 

'' Cost of the whole, including vines, preparation of 
border, and all expenses, two hundred and seventy-five 
dollars ; or, about sixteen dollars the running foot. The 
grapery is not heated by artificial means. 

" This house is built on a brick foundation, and the 



36 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

finish is of the most complete kind ; fifty or seventy-five 
dollars might have been saved, if desired, in the labor 
bestowed on the wood-work." 



rUENACE FOR HEATING THE GKAPEEY. 

In remarks on forcing, it has been intimated that the 
simj)le furnace and flue are, at all times, a valuable aid 
in the grapery. They are of easy construction, and may 
bo made of these dimensions, and after this plan. 

The furnace should be sunk in the earth so that the 
top of it may not be over ten or twelve inches above the 
floor of the house. It should be so placed, that the 
v/hole of the heat may be given out in the grapery, the 
door and end being in the furnace-room, so that the 
smoke and dust from the fires may not injure the foliage 
of the vines. The pit for the furnace should be about 
four feet wide, and three or four feet deep, and of conve- 
nient length for working the fire. The furnace should be 
two feet or two feet six inches wide, and about three feet 
in length. The ground should be paved with stone or 
brick for the foundation ; on this build the furnace, leav- 
ing ten inches in height in the centre, and of the length 
and width of the grate for the ash-hole. (See end view 
of a greenhouse furnace.) IsTow set the grate, which will 
require about two and a half inches of space ; build up 
the brick work, leaving a space for the fire of about 
twelve or thirteen inches high by ten or twelve inches 
wide, and two feet four inches deep on the inside. The 
door should be of cast iron, and on a cast iron frame, 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 87 

which should be set in the masonry in building. The 
grate endures the heat from the anthracite coal better if 
cast in separate pieces, half an inch thick, and two and 
a-half inches deep, with two spaces of about an inch in 
length, at proper distances from the ends, vv^here the 
thickness is three-fourths of an inch, the ends, also, being 
of this size. The sides of the fire-place must be built of 
fire brick ; the top must be covered, also, w^ith tile, or 
brick of this material, if coal is to be used. The tile on 
the top should be covered with one or more courses of 
brick. My furnaces have five or six, to retain and pre- 
vent too great escape of the heat. In the cut, the top of 
the fih'nace is represented as arched ; this is not neces- 
sary, but it may slope from the front to the back, where 
it enters the flue, three or four inches, with benefit to the 
draft.. At the further end of the furnace, the liue shoidd 
commence, and should have a risino; of certainlv tvv^o or 
three feet from the grate, to insure a good draft ; the flue 
should run to the front of the house, and thence along 
this, at the distance of twelve inches from the wall. This 
flue should be of brick, carefully made, to prevent the 
escape of smoke or gas ; it may be eight to ten inches 
square on the outside, or it may be fourteen inches wide, 
and eight inches deep, and covered Avith tiles ; either 
answers perfectly well. If the house is a very small 
one, — less than twenty feet, — the flue may return on the 
back of the house, and the smoke be carried off by the 
chimney near the furnace. If the house is over twenty 
feet in length, the better w^ay will be to continue it around 
the end to the back wall, and up by a chimney out of 
the roof, as represented in the cut of the lean-to house. 



88 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

The flue, for the first twelve feet after leaving the fur- 
nace, should be built on two or three courses of brick, 
(or a stone foundation may be substituted,) from thence 
to the chimney either on plank, (which is preferable on 
account of dryness,) or on bricks laid one or two inches 
apart ; one course of brick is sufficient for the floor of 
the flue. I usually have the first few feet of the sides of 
the fine built with the bricks laid flat, and, after this, on 
their sides, as represented in the lean-to house. 



HEATING APPARATUS FOE CIRCULATING WATER OX THE 
LEVEL PRINCIPLE. 

When the house is to be heated with hot water, (which 
I 23refer when a great and steady heat is required through 
the whole winter,) the furnace and flue should be built 
and arranged in the same way as detailed in the preced- 
ing article ; but, instead of covering the furnace with 
tile and brick, the boiler will be used. This may be of 
cast iron, or of sheet copper, and of proper size for the 
furnace. It is necessary to have fifteen or eighteen 
inches depth to this, that ample space may be allowed 
for the pipes, one above the other, on the side. The 
lower one should enter as near the bottom as possible, 
and the upper one as near the top. The principle upon 
which the water acts is this, that hot water is lighter 
than cold ; consequently, when this becomes heated by 
the fire, it rises to the top and thence to the pipe ; the 
cold water in the lower pipe comes in to fill the space of 
that heated, and the circulation commences, and is more 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 89 

rapid wlien the boiler contains but a small quantity of 
water, provided the pipes are always Ml, which they 
must be. But it is essential for a rapid circulation that 
ample distance be allowed between the pipes, which may 
be from four to six inches in diameter ; the lower one 
should be arranged first, and supported and kept in place 
on a perfect level, by brick or stone. Above this, should 
be the upper and warmest one, properly levelled and ar- 
ranged. You may place the pipes on either side of the 
furnace, but the side next the front of the house is usually 
the one considered best ; I would recommend four to six 
inches for the space between them. I have in my 
houses, at the extreme end, a tank containing thirty gal- 
lons or more of water, to which the pipes are attached, 
in the same manner as to the boiler ; but this is not ne- 
cessary, though preferable. The pipes may connect at 
the end by an elbow, and they work equally well ; but a 
tank at this place with a quantity of water, which be- 
comes heated, is of service, as this is the coldest ]3art of 
the house. An opening must be provided on the top of 
the boiler, or tank to fill these with the water. 



THE POLMAISE SYSTEM OF HEATING. 

Much discussion has been held of late in England, rel- 
ative to this mode of heating green and other houses for 
horticultural purposes, and some curiosity has been exci- 
ted in this country as to what the system is. The princi- 
ple is similar to that upon which many of our -churches 
and dwelling-houses have, for many years, bedti warmed. 




^ O 



a 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 41 

It is the same with air as with water, — the heated be- 
comes the lighter and ascends ; consequently the cold or 
heavier descends, and fills the place vacated. 

In the view of the furnace which is given,'''' the Pol- 
maise system is attached, the arrows show^insj the current 
of heated air over the furnace, and the bending one the 
rushing in of the cold air to fill the space, and thus the 
circulation is kept up while the heat is in the furnace. 
The end view shows the hot-air chamber over the fur- 
nace ; the two dotted places in this are the openings for 
the cold air. 

The side view shows also the smoke flue and the finish 
of the furnace, wdth a dead air chamber to receive any 
ashes that may pass from this and prevent their entering 
the flue. One opening in the covering of the Polmaise, 
for the escape of the heated air, is shown, and this cov- 
ering may be continued as desired, and the heat led by 
brick, or copper, or other pipes to any spot desired. In 
the hot-air chamber may be placed pans to contain wa- 
ter, that the heated air may have the required moisture ; 
these can be regulated at pleasure, having more or less, 
or none at all, as the state of the house requires. For 
instance, in the early stages of forcing, you would re- 
quire all the moisture that could be obtained in this way. 
If, with such an apparatus, a fire was made to presei've 
the fruit fmm frost or other causes after it was ripe, pro- 
bably no moisture at all v/ould be wanted. 

* This is copied from tlie Gardeners' Chronicle, witli so.no slight altera- 
tions. 



42 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



POLMAISE SYSTEM ATTACHED TO A FUKNACS ALKEAD-S 
CONSTRUCTED. 

1 have had attached to a farnace ah-eady constructed, 
(and that has been some time in use,) of dimensions 
similar to the one described, a system of circulation of 
the air which has proved very successful. It is very sim- 
ple. The furnace has been enclosed, on the three sides 
within the house, with brick work, leaving two or three 
inches of space only for the hot-air chamber on all sides, 
and this brick enclosure is continued along the sides of 
the flue, (where the heat is great,) for about ten feet. 
The whole of this brick work is then covered with stones, 
placed tv70 inches above the furnace, and the heat is led 
into any part of the house by a brick flue, covered on 
the top with stones and closed at the ends, with two 
openings near the extremity for the hot air to flow out 
on each side. An opening is left, about three inches 
square, on the level of the floor on each side in the brick 
work that surrounds the furnace, close to the back wall 
of the house, to admit the cold air, which commences to 
rush in as soon as the furnace and flue become warmed ; 
and this circulation continues for hours after the fire has 
burnt out, the brick work retaining the heat a great 
length of time. The cost of this apparatus was about 
twenty-five dollars additional. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 43' 



PEEPAKATION OF THE BOEDEE. 

The border should be twenty feet wide, for each set of 
vines, — if thirty feet, the better, — and two and a half or 
three feet deep ; If you have but little room, you can 
manage to grow very fair grapes with twelve feet of bor- 
der; but, in this case, you must not plant the vines so 
close together/''* The following course is recommended 
in preparing the border : — 

If tlie soil is a good loam, begin at one end and trench 
it ; mark off ten feet the entire width ; throw out the 
soil two feet deep ; if bones, or the carcasses of animals 
can be had, cover the bottom well with them ; if these 
are not readily procured, slaughter-house manure may 
be substituted ;•)' mark off ten feet more of the border, 
and cover this manure with part of the soil from it ; upon 
this, put an inch or two of oyster shells, or old lime rub- 
bish, mixed with broken bricks ; over this, put some soil 
from the border ; then a good covering of cow manure ; 
upon this, a slight covering of loam again, followed with 
a good portion of oyster shells, or the substitute ; and 
over this, a thick covering of stable manure, well rotted ; 
finish with a covering of the loam 4 The whole length 

* See Planting the Vines. 

f See Manures. 

X Drain for the Border. — If drains are necessary, they should be made 
after this plan : the main one to be of brick, extending the whole length 
of, and on the outside of the border, the bottom of this being covered with 
stones not less than one foot deep. On these, every six feet, should be 
smaller drains of brick, tile or stone, leading to the main one, and this can 
be carried to any convenient point. I have never found it necessary to 
form these under any border, stones at the bottom answering every pur- 
nose. Very few situations can require them in this country. 



*44: THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

is to be made in tiiis manner, in alternate spaces of ten 
feet each trenching. After it is finislied, the border 
should be tlu'ee feet six inches deep ; it will settle to less 
than three feet in a few rnontlis ; any soil left, after it is 
finished, can be carried ofi.''^ 

Dr. Lindley is of opinion, that, in the draining of the border, the im- 
provement is more by the admission of air and heat tlian by the removal of 
water. — Gardenerb' Chrontde, 1847, p. G51. 

* Tlie above is the inetliod by wiiich I have twelve thousand square feet 
of border prepared. 

After throwing out the soil, the materials are placed in the border, and 
following each other in these proportions: First, nine' inches of the strong 
slaughter-liousc manure, (or the carcasses of animals, or bones, etc..) four 
inches of ^soil. two inches of shells, four inches of soil, six inches of cow 
manure, four inches c^" soil, three inches of shells, four or five inches of sta- 
ble manure, and six inches of soil. 

These artl(;Ies were tjjrown as roughly as possible into place, and not 
levelled ; the first manure, lor instance, in some places, would be only six 
indies deep, and in others, ten or twelve, or more, just as it v,-ould happen 
to fall from the shovel, the above measurements being near what they 
would have been, if on a level Avoiding, as much as possible, the form- 
ing of layers, which, at first sight, would seem to be the case, but the jvii- 
ces of the strong manures would be all imbibed by the soil placed amongst 
them, aiid rendered rich accordingly. 

In the strong manure, at tJie bottom of the border, no care was taken to 
have the same material throughout ; but, as they could be procured, they 
Avere placed in position, as fresh as possible, (before they became offensive.) 
If the cai'cass of an animal was had, it was simply quartered, and laid in 
and covered with the soil. If the entire skeleton of the horse was had, (of 
which there arc, in this border, at least forty,) it was similarly placed, as 
also the slaughter-house manure ; but when, as was the case in some parts, 
bones were used which had been boiled, the floor of the border was cover- 
ed with these from two to four inches deep, and the freshest cow manure 
Vv'hich could be had was placed to the depth of from two to four inches 
upon them, and this again was covered with a like quantity of bones, Vhich 
were stuck into the manure in every direction, care being taken that they 
should not lie flat on its surface ; the object in view, being to have as rich 
a niaterial in this case, as when the other manures were employed. SomC' 
times, old mortar and brickbats were mixed with the slieJls, and used in 
connection with them. 



THE CULTUEE OP THE GEAPE. 45 

The proportions recommended for tLis "border, are one- 
half loam, one fourth bones, or other strong manure, one- 
eighth oyster shells, or lime' and brick rubbish, and one- 
eighth rotten stable manure. 

Before planting the vines, the border should be spaded 
over, to mix well the top substances, being careful not to 
disturb the strong manures at bottom, as these substances, 
when decomposing, would destroy any of the roots of 
the vine with which they came in contact. 

Should the soil be poor, decrease the proportion used 
in preparing the border, and, in the same ratio, increase 
the manures, or substitute the top soil of a loamy pasture. 

If the soil is very poor, or unsuitable for the purpose, 
so as to require to be removed entirely, then a compost, 
prepared thus, is recommended : — one half to be the top 
soil of an old pasture ; one quarter to be bones, or some 
other strong manure; one eighth oyster shells, or lime 
and brick rubbish; one eighth rotten manure; these ar- 
ticles thrown together in a heap, and so to remain until 



In preparing- this border, there ^ras found a difference in the natural soil, 
part of it being- a very rich j^ellow loam, several feet deep, and part of it a 
gravelly or slaty soil, not more than two feet deep, upon a bottom of rot- 
ten rock. The rich soil did not require as much manure as the thin, and 
received le,=s. but more shells, and old mortar, and bricks ; and the thin 
slaty soil received more than the above proportions of manures, and less of 
tlie shells, etc. This border is on a hill-side, and these are the extremes 
of soils at the top and bottom. Thus situated, there was no occasion for 
rocks, or any kind of drainage at the bottom of the border, and, cpnsequent- 
ly, none was used. Tn a border since made, to the above ingredients, I 
have added a good proportion of charcoal screenings, and, when they can 
be had convenienth^, they should always form a part of the compost, as be- 
ing valuable, tending to keep the soil porous and light, and, also, as afford- 
ing moisture in seasons of drought, and as absorbents of ammonia from the 
atmosphere. 



46 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

decomposed and amalgamated, "when tliey should be 
placed in the border, and thrown loosely together. My 
borders, having the most slaughter-house manure, or 
whole bones of animals in their composition, still con- 
tinue, as they ever have done, to produce the best fruit 
and the largest crops. 

It is unnecessary to attempt to give rules for every 
kind of soil. One must use his own judgment, and make 
his border to consist, as near as can be, of the above in- 
gredients. He must bear in mind that, if his soil is a 
stiii', clayey loam, he must add freely of such materials 
as will lighten and give permeability to it. If the soil 
is light, sandy, or gravelly, with the manure should be 
added a proportion of clay or of clayey loam. The rich 
alluvion soil, abounding in our western and south-west- 
ern States, will not require any of these strong ma- 
nures. If anything is requisite to improve them, it must 
be shells, charcoal, leaves, small stones, or gravel, — such 
materials as will loosen the soil. 

If a compost is to be prepared, as is usuallj^ recom- 
mended by European writers on the cultivation of the 
grape, by taking the top soil of an old pasture, &c., and 
throwing them into a heap until decomposed, two or 
three years are required before the border is in readiness 
for the vines ; whereas, by the plan which I have adopted, 
the vines may be planted immediately, making due al- 
lowance in the placing of the vine for its settling, v/hicli 
will be in proportion to the freshness of the manures, or 
the carcasses of animals that enter its compost, which, 
in dissolving, diminish greatly, and this in ratio to the 
flesh upon them ; the large bones will change but little 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 47 

for many years. "What is wanted in a grape border, is a 
rich, permeable soil, enduring in its nature, in wliicli the 
roots can ramble and spread freely. Too much water 
will injure the fruit ; a deficiency of moisture will pre- 
vent its swelling off properly 

The following account of Soils and Manures, as re- 
commended by several eminent cultivators, is annexed : — 

Speedily recommends " the soil to be one fourth part 
of garden mould, a strong loam ; one fourth of the swarth 
or turf from a pasture where the soil is a sandy loam ; 
one fourth, of the sweepings and scrapings of pavements 
and hard roads ; one eighth, of rotten cow and stable- 
yard dung mixed ; and one eighth, of vegetable mould 
from reduced and decayed oak leaves. The swarth 
should be laid on a heap, till the grass roots are in a 
state of decay, and then turned over and broken with a 
spade ; let it then be put to the other materials, and the 
whole worked together, till the separate parts become 
uniformly mixed. 

" A garden, and consequently the hot-house, is some- 
times so happily situated in regard to soil that it seems, 
by nature, adapted to the growth of the vine. The soil 
in which I have knovrn the vine to prosper in a superla- 
tive degree, without artificial aid, v^as a kind of ]-ich, 
sandy loam, intermixed with thin beds of materials, like 
jointed slate or stones, and so very soft in its nature as 
almost to be capable of being crumbled between the 
fingers. The following extract from Yirgil, on this topic, 
will be deemed neither inapplicable nor disagreeable to 
the candid reader : — 



48 THE CULTUllE OF THE GRAPE. 

But where the soil, witli fot'uing moisture fill'd, 
Is clothed with grass, and fruitful to be till'd; 
Such as in cheerful vales we view from high, 
"Which dripping rocks with rolling streams supply, 
And feed with ouzo ; where rising hillocks run 
In length, and open to the southern sun ; 
Where fern succeeds, ungrateful to the plough, 
That gentle ground to generous grapes allow.' 



" As tlie vegetable mould from decayed leaves cannot 
always be obtained, by reason that the leaves require to 
lie two years before they become sufficiently putrid and 
reduced, it may be necessary to substitute some other in- 
gredient in lieu of this part of the compost. Eotten 
wood reduced to a fine mould : the scrapings of the 
ground in old woods, wdiere the trees grow thick toge- 
ther ; mould out of hollow trees, and sawdust reduced 
to a fine mould, provided it be not from wood of a resin- 
ous kind, are, in part, of a similar nature with vegetable 
mould from decayed leaves, but are neither so rich n(n' 
|)0werful. It is very probable that there are various 
other kinds of manure, that may be introduced into a 
compost suitable for the vine with as much eiTect as the 
former ; as blood, the ofi'al of animals or shambles, horn 
shavings, old rags, hair, shavings of leather, and bone 
dust. This last is exceedingly proper, as, at the same 
time that it gives a lightness to the soil, it contributes to 
its fertility, I may also add to the former the dung of 
deer and sheep, as, likew^ise, (poudrette) night soiL But 
please to observe, that many, if not all, of the above re- 
cited manures will require time to meliorate, before they 
can be introduced and incorporated with the other part 
of the compost. The dust, or dirt, from roads consists 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 49 

principally of the following particulars : jSrst, the soil of 
the vicinity ; secondly, the dung and urine of horses, and 
other animals ; and thirdly, the materials of the road it- 
self, when pulverized. 

" After having specified manures known to be friendly 
to the vine, it may not be improper to name some that 
seem hiu'tful to it. Soot, wood ashes, pigeon and hen 
dung, would all, I think, be too hot for the roots of the 
vine. Tliese are manures that come immediately into 
action, and are more properly calculated for top dressing. 
Pond mud and moor earth would probably be too cold, 
and the latter might canker the roots of the vine, and 
therefore, on that account, had better be omitted. 

" In the autumn, to prevent the roots of the vine from 
being injured by the frost, they should be mulched to the 
thickness of three or four inches with strawy manure. 
A little very rotten manure may be spread all over the 
border. This is to be done the first season after plant- 
ing. 

" By the end of the second year after planting, the 
vines will have extended their roots to almost every part 
of the border : and as, at this tender age, the roots are 
very liable to receive'injury by severe frosts, I would ad- 
vise the borders to be covered the thickness of three or 
four inches with long, dead, strawy dung. This is to be 
removed in the spring ; a little of the very rotten may 
be permitted to remain, as this, with the addition of a 
little rotten cow dung, should be worked into the border 
every spring." 

Extract by Speechly from Marshall's Travels, which he 
introduces by saying that he hopes will prove acceptable, 



50 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

as the kind of manure, and the best time of applying it, 
are of the utmost importance : — 

" Mj landlord told me, that he had an intimate ac- 
quaintance, a vigneron, at Yerzenay, who was reckoned 
one of the most careful managers in all the country, and 
that he would give me a letter to him, requesting him to 
give me all the information I desired. This [ r<iadily 
accepted, and proceeded to Yerzenay, where I inquired 
for the vigneron the landlord at Chalons had written to. 
'We walked directly into his vineyard, which was dung- 
ing, in trenches made for that purpose. The season for 
this', most, approved here, is directly after the vintage, 
and to be finished before the winter sets in. It is all car- 
ried in on the heads of women and children in baskets, 
and they empty their baskets in trenches dug for that 
purpose, which are doing at the same time, and others 
spread it in the trenches, and cover it with mould imme- 
diately. Sometimes the trenches are made along the 
center of the intervals, at others, they are dug between 
the plants. 

" The sort of dung they prefer most is cow dung, that 
is, the cleanings of the cow-houses, which are well litter- 
ed with straw or stubble for that purpose ; horse dung is 
also used, but only on stiff soils. They reckon that five to 
eight hundred baskets are necessary for an acre of vines. 
The baskets, I reckon, hold about half a bushel, and this 
manuring is repeated every four or five years. Making 
dung is so much attended to throughout all the wine 
country, that every means is used to increase the quan- 
tity. Much cattle are kept, especially cows, and housed 
as much as possible. These are fed by every means that 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 51 

cau be taken. Every weed, every blade of grass that 
arises, is saved with as much care as the grapes, and giv- 
en to tlie cows. Dang is, however, sometimes laid on in 
March, but it is not thought so proper for that work as 
autumn. Over-manuring is thought prejudicial. But 
this depends on the soil ; for some lands are so deficient in 
natural fertility, that, unless they are manured more than 
commonly, they will not yield a crop ; they lay a thou- 
sand baskets, and sometimes even twelve hundred on. 
such." 

Speechly says that the vine requires " a plentiful sup- 
ply of water during summer, particularly in a hot, dry 
season. 

- " ' It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that 
it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear 
fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.' — Ezeldel^ xvii. 8. 

" In hot countries, the vine is said to grow the most 
luxuriant in a situation which is near the water, but it is 
generally allowed, that the flavor of the grape from vines 
in such a situation is much inferior to that of grapes 
growing in a dry soil. 

" During winter, I have frequently watered the vine 
border with a thick, black liquor, the drainage of the 
dunghills ; and, though this practice was intended solely 
to enrich the soil, yet it is not improbable but this power- 
ful liquor, by being impregnated with saline particles, 
may communicate a warmth to the roots of the vine du- 
ring the winter, and thereby prove serviceable in that re- 
spect also. However that may be, from the uncommon 
vigor of the vines, I have been led into a belief of the 
utility of this practice. But let me at the same time ob- 



52 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

serve, that I have always applied this powerful manure, 
(if I may so call it,) with great caution. I have found 
the beginning of winter the most proper time for using 
this kind of manure ; and then I only venture to give 
two or three plentiful waterings, fearing that, if this were 
to be applied either in the spring or the summer, or even 
in too great quantities, it might tend, from its great 
power, to cause the leaves of the vine to change from a 
green to a yellow hue. The drainage of the dunghill is 
the very strength and power of the dung ; for w^ater, 
constantly filtering through stable yard dung, certainly 
robs it of the mucilage and saline particles with which it 
greatly abounds, when newly made ; and especially such 
duns: as has lain a considerable time in the stable, and 
imbibed a large portion of the urine of the horses. The 
saline particles are increased by the fermentation, there- 
fore the first extract obtained from the dung, after it has 
undergone its fermentation, may be justly considered as 
the essence of the manure. 

" Although soils of difi'erent qualities admit of im- 
provement by various modes of practice, yet, without the 
aid of manure, the farmer would find his utmost exertions 
of but little value. And though some have endeavored 
to prove that the earth, when duly pulverized by the ac- 
tion of the plough, does not require manure, (Mr. Tull, in 
his ^ew Husbandry, tells us that, where the ground is 
properly managed, manure is an useless article ; but his 
opinion is now generally and justly exploded ;) yet ex- 
perience tells us that it is the very life and soul of hus- 
bandry ; and, when judiciously applied on almost every 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 53 

kind of soil, its effects will seldom disappoint tlie expec- 
tation of the farmer." 

By an experienced grape grower. — This person says 
the border " should be from thirty to forty feet in width, 
and should be formed of loamy soil, sharp sand, and at 
least a fourth part of well rotted horse dung." — S. A. J/, 
Loudon''s Magazine., vol. 10th, p. 266. 

By xi. Forsyth. — " At the back wall of the grapery, 
the soil is prepared to the depth of six feet ; and at the 
further extremity of the border, (sixteen feet wide,) there 
are three and a half feet of soil composed of equal parts 
of the following soils : turfy loam, (the top spit of a very 
old undisturbed piece of pasture, occupied as a rick 
yard,) two parts ; rotten dung, one part ; lime rubbish, 
one part ; gritty mud, (the same as road drift,) one part." 
— Loudon'' s Magazine., vol. 10th, p. 517. 

By Jasper Wallace, gardener to William Forsyth, Esq., 
of Cayton. — " The situation for the border, if not natu- 
rally dry, must be made so by draining. The best bot- 
tom, in my opinion, is one formed of large flat stones got 
from the top of a lime rock, which is of a nature that 
would assist the growth of the vines when they reached 
it. The border ought not to be deeper than from two 
feet to three feet ; as, if it is more, the roots of the vines 
will get away from the action of the summer weather, 
and the good of the manure that may be put on the sur- 
face. I would have the border formed of decomposed 
turf and good black earth, with a sufficient quantity of 
decomposed cow dung, vegetable mould, and slaked lime, 
well mixed by frequently turning it, and which shuuld 
be allowed to lie for two years, if convenient. 



54 THE CULTUEE OF THE GKAPE. 

" "With regard to the surface manuring of the border, 
as soon as the wood of the vine is fully ripe, it should be 
forked over, about tv/o inches deep, with a blunt durg- 
furk, and six inches of the best cow dung should be put 
on. To supply liquid manure for the border of one 
house, get one bushel of common salt, as much black 
soap, and a quantity of the drainings of stable yard 
dung, all put into a large cask, and allow it to stand for 
a week ; after which, mix it with a large quantity of rain- 
water, and put it regularly over the border ; then put on 
as much common earth as will completely cover the 
dung, but no more." — Loudoii's Magazine^ vol. 12th, 
p. 244. 

Mr. Loudon, in his Encyclopedia of Gardening, after 
quoting the composts, as recommended by Speechlj^, 
Abercrombie, McPhail, l^icol. Griffin, and Judd, adds 
these words : " The depth of the border must be regula- 
ted, in all cases, by the subsoil, and the climate. "Where 
the former is moist, and the latter is cold, the shallower 
the soil is, the better ; on the contrary, where the subsoil 
is perfectly dry, and the climate hot, as in the south of 
France, the depth may be unlimited." — Article 3564, 
p. 7Y8. 

For the composts for the grape border, as recommend- 
ed by Abercrombie, see soil used by him, Open Culture. 

" Fresh, light hazel loam, mixed vAih lime rubbish, 
leaf mould, and a small portion of decayed hot-bed 
dung," is advised by John Rogers, editor of the Fruit 
Cultivator, published in London, 1837. 

" An excellent vine border may be formed upon an 
impervious dry bottom, two feet deep, and composed of 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 55 

light, ricli, loamy earth, enriched with rotten manure, 
ground bones, and lime. It is better to extend the bor- 
der in breadth than in depth." — Charles Mclntosli^ Lon- 
don, 1839. 

Clement Iloare, in an after-edition of his work on the 
Grape Yine, recommends that, for winter-forcing, the 
vines be planted on the inside of the grapery, and, to do 
this properly, he says the soil should be removed from 
the inside of the house, which is to be supported by a 
wall of solid masonry on all sides to prevent the roots of 
the vines penetrating it to the outside. After the soil is 
removed, his plan is to pave the ground with brick, set 
in cement, and this space is intersected with brick work, 
witli openings occasionally, for the roots to penetrate and 
ramble. This brick work is to be a support for the 
bricks which are to cover the whole, after completion. 
The substances, in which the vines are to grow, are bro- 
ken bricks, lumps of mortar, charcoal., and bones, in 
equal proportions, soaked in urine. His idea is, that these 
materials, once moistened and then placed in the situa- 
tion prepared as above, can never become dry; that the 
moisture of the earth will keep the whole mass suffici'ent- 
iy supplied with water, and that it never can have an ex- 
cess. In planting the vines, the roots are to be carefully 
spread out, freed from all soil. It is advised to have two 
pieces of woolen blanket, which are to be first soaked in 
soap suds, to plant the vines in, — one to be spread on 
the bottom and the roots laid on this, and the other to 
cover them ; when this is done, cover over with the com- 
post above named, and, when, the whole is paved over on 
the top, the work is complete. This, it will be observed, 



66 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

is planting without a particle of soil. I have never at- 
tempted to grow vines after this plan, and most surely 
shall not ; still, it is to be presumed, occasionally, a plant 
may succeed. Where the soil is very wet, the plan, 
wit/i the addition of one half of good loam to the com- 
post, doubtless would do well. In the damp climate of 
England, this compost would probably retain sufficient 
moisture, and never become dry, as Mr. Hoare says ; 
but, in the severe droughts of the United States, in most 
situations, the plants would die. 

In prejDaring a suitable soil for fruit trees in general, 
De la Quintiney says : " The best earth for this use is a 
sort of rich sandy loam, which may be taken from near 
the surface of some rich pasture ground, where cattle 
have been fed or fothered, or of some rich' sheep-walk, 
where there is a depth of earth, and if it is mixed with 
a little old mellow earth, or the like, it may do well ; or 
cow or horse dung may likewise do well, if it is quite 
rotten, so as to be like earth ; but of this a small quanti- 
ty, as one part in four or five, and thoroughly rotted." 
p. 9. 

New earths he also recommends as suitable for trees, 
&c. ; these he defines as being " such as have never 
served for the nourishment of any plant, or else have 
been a long time built upon, &c. ; likewise, earth frum 
some rich pasture-ground, of a sandy, loamy nature, 
where cattle have been a long time fed, is of excellent 
use for most sorts of plants ; especially if it has been 
thrown up in heaps to meliorate, and has taken the win- 
ter frosts, it will be so much the better." p. 17. 

" !N"ow since the great defects of earth are too much 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 67 

moisture, coldness, and heaviness, also lightness, and an 
inclination to parching, so amongst dungs, some are fat 
and cooling, as that of oxen and cows ; others, hot and 
light, as that of sheep, horses, pigeons, (fee. And where- 
as the remedy must have virtue contrary to the distem- 
per it is to cure, therefore, hot and dry dungs must be 
used in cold, moist, heavy earths, and oxen and cow 
dung in clean, dry, light earths, to make them fatter and 
closer. JN^ot that these two sorts, thougli the principal, 
are the only materials for the amendment of earth; for, 
upon farm lands, all sorts of stuffs, linen, flesh, skin, 
hones, nails, hoofs of animals, dirt, urine, excrements, 
wood, fruit, leaves, ashes, straw, all manner of corn or 
grain, soot, &c. ; in short, all that is upon or in the earth, 
(except stones and mJnerals,) serve to amend and better 
it." p. 29. 

"I look upon sheep's dung as the best of all dungs, 
and most promoting fruitfulness in all sorts of earth. La 
poudrette and the dung of pigeons and poultry, I seldom 
use, — the one is too offensive, and the other is full uf 
small insects prejudicial to plants." p. 31. 

'' Yines thrive and produce better grapes in certain dry 
grounds than in cold strong earths." p. Si. 

" When the vines show any diminution of vigor, re- 
fresh the roots wdth dung or soil." p. 156. 

The following articles are from the Gardeners' Chroni- 
cle, edited by Professor Lindley. Some of them are an- 
swers to correspondents, who have asked information upon 
the points replied to : — 

" Your vine border, covered with frames, should be 
well watered with manure water l)efore you begin fore- 



58 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

ing, and occasionally till the grapes begin to color," 
1846, p. 680. 

" Soil for the vine border. — Good turfy loam and dung, 
witli some peat, tv/o and a half feet deep. It will be 
better for the vine if no other plants are allowed to root 
in the border." 1846, p. 696. 

" Calcareous soil suits vines better than silicious." 

1846, p. 712. 

" Turfy maiden loam, made into a compost with bones 
and plenty of cow dung, will make a good border; but 
the situation being very dry, you must take care to mulch 
and water well in summer." 1847, ])• T2. 

" X, Y, Z, (Hants,) says : To apply a manure to a vine, 
it is necessary to dig a small trench around the roots of 
this plant, (which is best done in the autumn, after the 
fruit is gathered,) then to apply a bucket of ox-blood, and 
pile up the earth over this and around the stem of the 
plant." 

" J. B., (Lynn,) says : I have collected in barrels the 
whole quantity of slops from the house, consisting of 
chamber lye, soap suds, &c., and, when the mixture be- 
gins to emit an offensive odor, I have saturated the bor- 
der with it." 

" J. L. Snow says : You may, with safet}^, use the 
above liquid, especially if the border be well drained." 

1847, p. 509. 

" In a communication which was read at the Horticul- 
tural Society's meeting, it w^as mentioned that Mr. Ayre's 
b(/rder was made wholly above the surface, and formed 
first of a layer of concrete three inches thick, on a slop- 
ing bottom, with a line of drain pipes opposite each raf- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 69 

ter ; over these were then laid from one foot to eighteen 
inches in thickness of brick rubbish, intermixed with 
oyster shells and rough bone dust, materials which were 
also freely mixed with the soil. The latter was stated to 
be turfy loam mixed with leaf mould. At present, the 
border is only about six feet wide and abos t eighteen 
inches deep ; but it was mentioned that it is ii^tended to 
add four feet more to it this autumn, and, when finished, 
which will not be for some years to come, it will' be 
twenty feet in width. It was stated that the great object 
kept in view, in forming this border, was to make it po- 
rous rather than rich, the latter being left to top-dress- 
ings and liquid manure." 1847, p. 607. 

" Pigeon manure, mixed with fresh soil, will certainly 
improve your vine border." 

"You may apply manure water any time, except when 
the crop is ripeninoj off." 

" Large bunches of grapes have been produced on a 
vine, of which the roots came in contact with the drain- 
age in a court-yard of an inn, frequented throughout the 
year." 1847, p.. 624. 

" Bones as Mamire. — The researches of the chemist 
and the practical testimony of. the farmer having more 
fully established the value of bones as a manure, it be- 
hoves us to ascertain whether they have been employee 
in gardening as extensively as they deserve. The great 
est obstacle to the more general use of bones in garden 
ing, as well as in farming, is their undergoing decompo 
sition so very slowly. — M. Saul, Exotic Nursery, CJiel- 
seaP 1847, p. 639. 

" Vineries at BisJioji^s Stortford. — The borders are ad- 



60 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

mirably constructed. The houses are built on the side of 
a low hill, with a gravelly bottom. On the surface of 
the natural ground, which was coated with concrete, the 
border has been formed three and a half feet deep at the 
back, and two and a half feet deep in the front, so that 
it slopes from. back to front, where it is rounded off. ]^o 
rain can ever lodge there. It was formed with burnt 
clay, (the bottom of some old brick-kilns,) loamy turf 
from an old pasture, plasterer's rubbish, hair and trim- 
mings of hides (called fleshings,) from the tan yards, and 
an enormous quantity of thoroughly rotten stable manure, . 
— the last border alone consumed a barge load of forty 
tons of such manure. All these materials, after being 
thrown together, were tliorouglihj incorporated. The}^ 
form so loose a bed that a stick may be easily pushed 
through it to the very bottom. Every J^ovember, these 
borders receive a good mulching of stable manure, which 
remains to rot in the succeeding summer ; so that the 
surface is always covered by a rich decaying material 
which absorbs heat from the sun, and detains the natu- 
ral dampness of the border. The vines are managed 
upon Mr. Crawshay's plan. 

" These vines were planted in 1843, cut back in 1844, 
when each at once made the whole of the single rod that 
furnishes the crop. Tliese rods are now, on an average, 
five and a half inches in circumference, and run straight 
up the center of each light, so that the leaves and bunch- 
es are exposed to all the light and air which the houses 
can furnish. The fruit produced by this practice is rep- 
resented as being very fine, the bunches not remarkably 
large, but the berries are said to be beautiful, and the 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE. 61 

fruit equally distributed on the vines throughout the 
house." 184:7, p. GS3. 

"A. B. says: In forming a new border, I should re- 
commend the soil to be excavated to the depth of three 
feet, not more, but the wider the "border is, the better, — 
twenty feet is not too wide. There should be a drain in 
front, and the border should slope well to it. I would 
bottom with rough sandstone, or some material wliich 
would secure perfect drainage ; and I would cover the 
latter with thin turf, or peat, to prevent it from being 
choked up. As compost, I would recommend one fourth 
old mortar, bones, and charcoal, — the bones and char- 
coal to be broken, but not too small ; one fourth, decom.- 
posed tree leaves ; and the remaining half, the top spit 
of a good old 2)asture, or common, which should have 
lain eighteen months in a heap, and frequently turned 
and exposed to the frost. The whole being well incorpo- 
rated, fill in the border, taking care to tread as little as 
possible." 1817, p. 685. 

"In our opinion, it is doubtful whether any material 
like slaughter-house manure is fit for vine borders. Its 
eflect is to cause excessive growth, and, for a little while, 
large quantities of grapes ; but the efi'cct is transient, 
and plants suffer finally. It is much better to employ 
bones, hair, woolen rags, skin, tanners' fleshings, and 
similar substances. See Mr. leash's border. Bishop's 
Stortford." 1817, p. 736. 

Here the question naturally arises, What is slaughter- 
house manure? or, of what does it consist? It is to be 
presumed that this manure varies very much, in its com- 
ponent parts, in different countries, being affected by lo- 



62 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

cal customs. AYhat I meant by the substance, (and 
which I have used, in my grape borders, and recommend 
as a substitute for the carcasses of animals, or bones,) 
consists mainly of the intestines, with the manures which 
were in the animals at the time they were killed, all the 
heads, horns, and feet of sheep, and a good share of 
bones, and other refuse of other animals. The half of 
the bulk and weight of the manures has been the heads, 
the lower half of the legs, and other bones, with some 
flesh, and skin, and hair, etc., upon a large part of them. 
"Now all these articles are very powerful manures, and 
very lasting in their nature, and should not be placed in 
the border until decomposed in some measure, or, which 
is better, put at the bottom of the border, where the 
roots of the vine will find them the second or third year. 
A large part of the fleshy matter, in its decomposition, 
turns to a liquid, and the soil near by imbibes this, and 
is enriched thereby. These substances, when in this 
state of decomposition, if they come in contact with the 
roots of the vine, will instantly destroy the part touched, 
and this is why I place it at the bottom of the border, to 
be there for the future use of the vine, and out of the 
way of doing mischief. If this material is to be used as 
a top dressing, it should remain in the compost heap till 
it is entirely decomposed. I consider it, wdien placed as 
directed, at the bottom of the border, a most valuable 
material for the nourishm.ent of the grape vine ; but, if 
whole bones of animals can be obtained in sufficient 
quantities, I give them the j^reference ; not that they are 
more valuable, but because the slaughter-house manure 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



63 



Is (let it be ever so fresh,) always an unpleasant and dis- 
agreeable object. 

In countries (as I presume is tlie case in England,) 
where the heads and bones of animals are considered too 
valuable to be thrown into the manure heap at the sham- 
bles, the most lasting, and, for this purpose, the part con- 
stituting the properties for which it has been recommend- 
ed are w^anting, and it is of no more value than any 
other stimulating manure. 

" As some difference of opinion exists respecting the 
proper covering for vine borders, I have ventured to give 
the material I use, which answers (under the circumstan- 
ces,) as well as any thing I have seen recommended. At 
the first appearance of frost, I cover the border with dry 
beech or oak leaves, (two feet or more in thickness,) 
newly fallen from the trees if I can get them ; cover with 
a little litter to keep them from blowing away. In 
spring, as soon as fine ^veather sets in, I remove the leaves 
entirely, fork the border over lightly, and add a nice top 
dressing of rotten manure mixed with the best soil I can 
procure. 

" In making the border, I have followed Mr. Iloare's 
plan, as far as possible. The foundation is flagged over 
with a deep drain running round the outside, I laid on 
the flags eighteen inches of broken bricks, lumps of old 
mortar, &c., with a little small on the top, in which I put 
a three inch sod (grassy side down,) to i^revent the com- 
post from getting down amongst the bricks. The princi- 
pal part of the compost consisted of rich turfy loam, leaf 
mould, and rotten dung, with lime rubbish and gravel to 



64 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

keep it open, and plenty of whole bones and a little car- 
rion to make it durable. — A Siihsc7nher.^^ 1847, p. 837. 

Heiiovation of Vine Borders. — After stating tkat these 
must be legion, (if we may judge by the number of com- 
plaints,) which require this remedy, and that the cause 
mainly is stagnation, it is recommended to enlarge or re- 
new the drains, which are supposed to be inefficient or 
improperly arranged, or to have become choked up by 
age. There is added : " Now even a border made of 
loam, — unless what is termed sandy loam, — if two or 
three feet in depth, would become in time too much 
closed up to suit the natural habits of the vine ; how 
much more, then, a three-feet-deep border, in which de- 
composing organic matter constitutes nearly one half its 
volume ! Every body knows that this black and fatty 
humus, — for such it becomes by age, — does not, in its 
own nature, contain sand sufficient to ensure at all times 
a speedy transmission of moisture, and to secure permea- 
bility to the atmosphere, especially if buried nearly a 
yard in depth." 

Here follow directions for introducing drains, and holes 
filled with open " rubbly matter," (fee, and then this ad- 
vice : "After these things are accomplished, it would 
be well to fork in a dressing composed of lime rubbish, 
charcoal, coarse sand, bones, cfec, on the surface, not go- 
ing deeper than six inches, unless there are no roots in 
the way. Finally, the border may be coated over with 
three inches of manure from the stable door, if to .spare. 
This, however, should only lie from IN'ovember until 
midsummer; it might then be removed, and an inch or 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GllAFE. 65 

two of old vegetable soil or decayed linings substituted 
in its room." 18-i7, p. 71. 

Vme borders. — By James Duncan, Basing Park, Al- 
ton. " I am now forming a border for the growth of this 
plant. I employ a two-horse cartload ot dead lime rub- 
bish, with which some brickbats are mixed, and a sack 
of half inch bones, (for each vine,) well incorporated with 
a loam of very thin turf, taken from an old common; 
the whole is covered over with six inches of road scrap- 
ings, with which some charcoal w^ill be mixed when thcj 
vines are planted. The border, when finished, will bn 
about two and a half feet in depth, and sixteen feet i\\ 
width, resting on a substratum of flint stones, slopiuij 
from the house, and two feet in thickness, so as to atfori 1 
efiectual drainage ; and this I consider a most essential 
point in the formation of vine borders." 1847, p. 205. 

Yi7ie Borders. — By Robert Greenfield, gardener, 
Tynemouth House, JSTorthumberland. "The bottom of 
the border is chalk ; on this is laid one foot of rubble 
stones, and, upon this, the compost of rotten turf from a 
common which has lain undisturbed for fifty years." 
18i7, p. 358. 

'• All vine borders, whether early or late, should be in- 
stantly covered a foot deep, if j^ossible, with rotting ma- 
nures ; this will intercept the departure of the remaining 
ground heat, and will contribute much to the fertility of 
the vines in the ensuino* vear. Yines for earlv forciiiir, 
with outside roots, will soon be benefited by a slight 
aiiiount of fermentation in the border covering." Oct. 
20th, 18tt7, p. 720. 



66 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Bemarlcs on tlie Cultivation of tlie Vi?ie. — By James 
Hutchinson, Gardener at Cranston Hill, near Glasgow. 

After some remarks relative to spur and other systems 
of pruning the vine, this writer goes on to recommend 
the long cane system as the best. As I have explained 
this plan fully aiid stated the objections to it, I shall not 
repeat here his remarks, but shall give what he says rel- 
ative to the temperature of the house and border where 
the vines are to be forced. In my opinion, they are well 
worthy of careful attention. 

" I commence forcing about the end of February, or 
beginning of March ; previously to which, I cover the 
vine border, to the depth of ten or twelve inches, with 
horse dung of the best cpiality. Before this dung is laid 
on the border, it should be thrown up in a heap for two 
or three days, until it begins to heat properly. It should 
then be laid on the border without delay, as its powers 
will be greatly weakened by the process of fermentation. 
The temperature of the surface of the border will be 
raised, by means of this dung, to about 50° Fah., a point 
of great importance. It is evidently contrary to nature 
to be forcing the vines when the roots are exposed to 
cold, or, at least, deriving no warmth to stimulate the 
juices of the plants. I keep the temperature in the hot- 
house at about 50° in the morning, at first ; and about 
55° during tlie daj^, if dull weather. If the nights are 
ver}^ cold or frosty at the commencement of forcing, if 
the thermometer is 48° in the morning, I am satisfied. 
This heat is continued until the buds are all broken ; af- 
ter which, the thermometer may be allowed to range be- 
tween 50° and 55° in the morning, and about 60° during 



THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 67 

the day, if clnll v/eatlier. In clear weatlier, from the 
commencement of forcing, I open the npper door of the 
furnace, merely keeping the fire in during the day, and 
allow the temperature to rise in the hothouse to T0°, Y5°, 
or even 80°. Were there a continuance of clear weather 
at this stage of forcing, 80° would be too- high; but, for 
a day or two, it does not matter, although the thermome- 
ter should rise to 80° in the middle of the day. This 
tempjerature should be continued during the day, should 
the weather be clear, until the first leaves of the vine are 
fully expanded, when the temperature may be kept be- 
tween 85° and 90° in the daytime in clear weather. 
When the vines are in flower, I keep the temperature be- 
tween 55° and 60° in the morning, and between 65° and 
T0° during the day, if dull w^eather, and about 85° if sun- 
shine. After the grapes are set, the thermometer may 
be allowed to rise to 90° or 95° during the day in clear 
weather. In dull or wet weather, in summer, instead of 
kindling fires at night in the ordinary way, I cause the 
flues to be heated in the morning in order to raise the 
mercury in the thermometer to about Y0° during the day, 
and allow the fire to burn out towards night. The tem- 
perature in the daytime, from the commencement of forc- 
ing, should be regulated, in some nieasure, by the heat 
of the vinehouse during the night. For example, if the 
house has been colder during the night than I could wish, 
I keep up a greater heat than usual during the following 
day; and, if it has been warmer during the night than I 
consider requisite, I give less fire during the day than 
usual ; or more air, according to the state of the weather. 
" Many may object to the lowness of the temperature 



.68 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. ■' 

that I have recommended during the night, when the 1 

grapes are in flower ; but all the kinds cultivated here, | 

including the Tukay, Black Hamburgh, White Sweetwa- | 

ter, &c., uniformlj set well with the heat above mention- j 

•ed. Indeed, when the nights have been frosty, duriug | 

the time my vines were in flower, I have seen the ther- J 

mometer as low as 52° in the morning, and I never ob- \ 

served that they sustained the least injury by this low j 

temperature. Too much dependence has hitherto been j 

placed on the influence of fire heat in the forcing of hut- - 

houses. The great art is to do with as little fire heat as i 
possible, and to take the utmost advantage of the heat 

derivable from the sun's rays, consistent with giving a ' 

sufficient quantity of air. The legitimate use of fire i 

heat is to pj*event the bad effects of frosts, snows, and • 

inclement weather. i 

"I may now say a few words on giving air. In clear j 

weather it should always be given early in the morning, i 

and taken away early in the afternoon. For exampiC, j 

let a small portion of air be given between eight and ] 

nine o'clock in the morning, and, if the day continue | 

clear, give more between ten and eleven, and take it all ' 

away at three o'clock. I seldom let air into my vine- \ 

houses after three o'clock in the afternoon. If air be ad- \ 

mitted until the house is completely cooled, a large fire ' 

may be necessary to support the requisite temperature ; i 

and it is evident that sun heat is better and cheaper than ; 

fire heciV'—Sejyt., 1S3S. i 

Ey the foregoing, it would appear that the plan of j 

covering the border with heating substances, for the pur- j 

pose of raising the temperature of the border, was sug- j 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 69 

gested and practised before Mr.Eoberts's book appeared." 
It difiers from bis plan in not recommending the con- 
tinuance of this beat by renewing of the fermenting 
materials, which renew^al, in my opinion, is necessar3^ 

Mr. A. Forsyth,' in a diary of the culture of the grape, 
published in Loudon's Magazine, vol. 10, page 548, also 
gives directions relative to the covering of the border, as 
follows : — 

"Xov. 25th, 1833. Forked the border about three 
inches deep ; laid on turfy loam and old lime mortar 
about two inches deep; tlien old hotbed dung, well rot- 
ted, two inches deep ; the roots being near the surface, 
having been planted as shallow as possible. 2Tth. Laid 
leaves on the vine border one foot thick, and fresh hot 
dung one foot : protected the above from rains, &c. by 
reed covers, used at other times for pine pits. Dec. 1st. 
Fire heat applied. Jan. 5th, 1831. Heat of dung on 
the border, 96°. 19th. Heat of dung on the border, 65°. 
Feb. 1st. Dung on the border nearly cold. March 12th. 
Dung, leaves, &c. cleared off the border to admit sun 
heat, &c. ; the border was forked over. April 12th. 
First berry of the Hamburgh beginning to change color; 
border watered wntli dung w^ater, (dry weather.) May 
10th. Grapes exhibited at the gardens of the London Hor- 
ticultural Society, for which the large gold medal was 
awarded, the berries measuring three and a half and four 
inches round." 

I cannot agree w^ith Mr. Hutchinson in the propriety 

* See Mr. Roberts's plan for beating tbe border, and remarks relative 
thereto. 



70 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

of his giving fixed hours for opening and closing the 
lights for the purpose of giving air. These directions 
may be good for a certain honse, and very unsuitable for 
another. They may be, and probably were, intended as 
applicable to a house with a front due south. I^ow, if 
the front should be to the southeast, the house thus situ- 
ated would be exposed to a very great heat one or two 
hours before the time specified, and, in the months of 
May and June, the lights in bright weather would re- 
quire to be opened much earlier. Again, if the fronting 
of the house inclines to the west, eight or nine o'clock 
w^ould be, perhaps, too early. His principle, as applied 
to the forcing-house, is correct, but he errs in giving fixed 
hours for ventilating the house, when he should have, 
substituted the range ot the mercury as a guide. In this 
country, in May and frequently in the summer months, 
the mercury ranges in the daytime from 75° to 90° in the 
shade. At such times, how unsuitable for the welfare of 
the vines would be the closing of the windows of the 
grapery at an early hour ! 

Culture of tlie Vine under Glass. — By James Roberts. 
London, 1842. 

This work is very concise, and, for the climate of Eng- 
land,* unsurpassed in its directions for tlie preparation 
of the border, etc. ; yet there are objections to it, par- 
ticularly as concerns the cultivation in this country. It 
is divided into six short chapters. In the preface, Mr. 



* If we can judge from the result of the practice, as detailed by the au- 
thor, whose statements, as regards the crop of fruit and its fine quality, are 
corroborated by the Gardeners' Chronicle. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 71 

Roberts states " tliat it has been his study to bring the 
vine into a bearing state earlier than what is commonly 
practised." 

The first chapter treats of the border ; the opinion of 
the author upon the different composts as recommended 
by Speedily, Abercrombie, Mawe, and others, and his 
own plan upon the subject, which is as follows : — 

" The borders outside the houses ought to be twenty- 
four feet wide, cleared out to the depth of three feet 
six inches upon a bottom of retentive clay, well pre- 
pared, with a fall of one foot from back to front. A 
main drain ought to run along the extremity of the 
border, one foot six inches deej), with cross drains, in an 
oblique direction, leading into it, so as to have perfect 
command in draining off superfluous water, which I con- 
sider an essential point to attend to, so as to lay then^ 
dry (more particularly where the climate is humid); 
I then laid upon the bottom thus formed, broken stones 
and lime rubbish to the depth of one foot, leaving a 
depth for compost of two feet six inches. Upon the 
broken stones, every six or eight feet square, I have 
placed large limestones, of the same nature as the far- 
fiimed Skipton rock, which I have no doubt contribute to 
retain moisture in a dr}^ season, and to facilitate the 
drainage in a wet one. The compost and manures I 
most recommend, and which I made use of, are, two 
parts the parings of a piece of old pasture land, a strong 
loam, laid up one year, (or till- the sward is half decom- 
posed,) in the form of a potato hod, close covered in 
with soil, and never turned ; one part, the turf with four 
inches of the soil, of a looser texture, laid up for the 



72 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. i 

same period, and not turned, as before ; an eiglitb part, i 
scrapings of the bigliwajs formed from limestone, or \ 
other hard material ; and the other eighth part, half-de- j 
composed horse or cow dung. I am not an advocate for j 
turning over and mixing the materials promiscuously to- \ 
gether, as, by often turning, the coMpost becomes too ^ 
solid, losing a great portion of its fertilizing j)roperty by | 
such repeated intermixture ; and, nnless it be of a very ] 
sandy, loose texture, the border will, in a few j^ears, be- i 
come impervious both to water and to atmospheric air, j 
which are of incalculable benefit to the growth of the ] 
vine. I would recommend the autumn, if the weather I 
be dry, to prepare to fill in your border. A month pre- | 
vious to filling ^^our border, provide a quantity of car- j 
rion, cattle dying by accident, diseas"e, e^c, which, I am 1; 
sorry to say, has, of late years, been too common an oc- ,1 
currence. If 3"0u have collected it sometime beforehand, | 
have it cut into small pieces and laid up in soil, till the ' 
time of using. It emits a very nauseous effluvium, but \ 
this must be borne, for this is the pahulum to produce ] 
the nectar of Bacchus. When all is ready, and the wea- \ 
ther favorable, proceed at one end of your border, wheel- .^ 
ing in and mixing the materials in proportion as they j 
stand to each other in my previous directions, on no ac- j 
count breaking the materials in mixing, but turn them ■] 
in as rough as possible, adding one good-sized horse or , 
cow carcass to every ten or twelve square yards, using 'j 
caution, and not bringing.it to the surface of the border ' 
within one foot, as its assistance is not wanted the first | 
year. What I have here recommended, is my practice 
adopted at this place, the result of which, I dare pre- 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GEAPE. 73 

Slime to say, has surprised all, both gentlemen and prac- 
tical gardeners, who have witnessed it." 

Mr. Roberts then goes on to say ; '* Still, an improve- 
ment might be made on this border, particularly where a 
cool and humid atmosphere prevails, as it does, to a 
great extent, in the northern parts of these kingdoms. 

" To obviate this defect, I should recommend, instead 
of a border two feet six inches deep, with one huge 
stone every six or eight feet square, to put four or five in 
the same space, allowing the border, when filled and 
settled, to be from fifteen to eighteen inches deep, and to 
plant the vines as near upon the surface as possible ; you 
would then be better able to add a top dressing to your 
border every autumn, so as to feed and keep the roots 
of your vine near the surface." ' 

The second chapter treats of the kind of grapes for 
the vinery, etc., and of the different methods of propa- 
gating the vine ; his plan is by the single eye, as fol- 
lows : — ■ 

" Choose bold, prominent buds, taking two inches of 
wood ; on each side cut a little sloping, opposite the eye ; 
then pot singly, in thirty-two sized pots, using leaf 
mould and sandy loam in equal parts," prepared fourteen 
days before placing in the p)it. " When your pit is 
ready, having been filled with stable dung and tree 
leaves, so as to command a bottom heat of 80° or 85°, 
which you can easily ascertain by inserting a Fahren- 
heit's thermometer to the depth of a foot, proceed to 
plunge in your pots, which you may safely do, being 
rather sparing of water the first fortnight or three 
weeks, and never using the water at a lower tempera- 



74 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

lure than the heat of the bed. The temperature of the 
pit must not exceed 55° by day, and may be allowed to 
fall to 45° in the night, nutil the buds are in motion. 
They will then require the raising of the heat gradually 
until it reaches 55° by night, by the time the first leaves 
are fully expanded ; allowing them ten or fifteen de- 
grees more by day, or sun heat, keeping a moist temper- 
ature, syringing, and shutting up early in the afternoon. 
By the time they have grown a foot, or eighteen inches, 
they will require removal to larger pots." 

In the third chapter, the method of planting is de- 
tailed, etc. '' For a vinery, some authors recommend 
inside planting, with which I don't agree, except for the 
back wall, or for a succession crop, intended to be trained 
below the rafters of the roof vines. Presuming your 
borders have been made and properly settled, as advised 
in a former part of this work, in the month of March or 
April, carefully turn your young vine out of the pot, 
taking its top through an opening in the sill left for its 
insertion, leaving two buds clear inside the house ; this 
will leave the ball three or four feet from the front of 
the vinery. Open the soil opposite to each rafter. Then 
proceed to single out the roots with great care, spreading 
them out in the fan manner, filling in amongst them 
with the compost of leaf mould and sandy loam, keeping 
them as near the surface as possible, laying in the young 
cane forward to the wall, and not allowing it to be buried 
more than three inches. A little water would be of ser- 
vice, at the time of planting, in washing in the soil, to 
the benefit of the roots, mulching them over with a little 
litter. In the course of a week from the time of plant- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 75 

ing, lay on the surface of the border, over the roots and 
stems, stable litter and leaves in a good state of fermen- 
tation, to the width of eight feet, and two feet six inches 
thick, which will prove of great benefit to the young 
plant by putting its roots in motion, and cause that part 
of the "stem that is layered to emit healthy roots in abun- 
dance, not employing artificial heat inside, but giving 
plenty of air, which still continue, nntil you perceive the 
buds in motion, allowing the house to rise to 65° or Y0° 
by sun heat ; syringing the buds and steaming the house, 
as the heat rises in the fore part of the day, closing early 
in the afternoon, and allowing the house to cool down, as 
night approaches, to 48° or 50°. 

" When your shoots have sprung three or four inches, 
make choice of the best, and rub the other oif. As the 
shoots elongate, tie them carefully to the wires, taking 
off all tendrils and laterals as they appear. I may be 
allowed to say, that the method of pruning I recommend, 
to bring a youug vine into a permanent bearing state the 
soonest, is by single rod, on the spur principle. As the 
foliage becomes fully expanded, raise the temperature in 
the night gradually to 60°, as I consider 60° or 65° a suf- 
ficiently high night temperature for the young vine, in 
its first season of growth. The temperature in the day 
may be allowed to rise 10°, 20°, or 25° higher, by solar 
heat, keeping up a very humid atmosphere. If the heat 
uf the leaves and litter has begun to decline, work them 
up again with some good hot stable litter, covering the 
border two feet wider. If the heat at the root can be 
maintained at 90° or 95°, your prospects will be the 
more cheering, as, by keeping a low temperature in the 



76 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

house through the night, the roots of your vines, at that 
season, will be in active work, preparing and gathering 
food for the following day. 

" As the season advances, your vines will be fast ap- 
proaching maturity ; keep your house less humid than 
before. If the weather proves open and warm, you may 
reduce the manure at the root, taking away the whole as 
your vine ripens towards the extremity, as it will have 
performed its good offices to your satisfaction ; but you 
had better leave two or three inches of the shortest dung, 
or else lay on a few decomposed leaves, as you will per- 
ceive the heat of the dung will have kept and encour- 
aged the roots, on and near the surface of the border. 
By the time the wood has attained a good brown russet 
color at the extremity, you may prepare them for next 
year, as they will bear pruning, though the leaves may 
not drop for wrecks, any time without danger. 

" My practice is, to disbud the cane as soon as the 
wood is ripe. You may proceed thus : beginning at the 
bottom of the vine, leaving a bud you think is w^ell 
placed and on the side of the shoot, then cut clean out 
the two following, leaving the fourth, taking out the 
next two, and so on till you reach eight or nine feet in 
height, as to that length the cane m-ustbe cut back ; pro- 
ceed again at the bottom, disbudding the other side in 
the same manner, so that, in that length, you will be 
able to leave eight or ten permanent eyes, to form fruit- 
bearing spurs for the following year, or live on each side. 
Having cleared your border of the superfluous manure, 
which will be the case by the beginning of July, during 
that month and August I keep my border nearly exposed 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 77 

to the full rays of the sun and air, by which means the 
majority of the roots having heen kept on the surface, 
by the heat added as before mentioned, are more perfect- 
ly ripened, so that in September I am enabled to give 
them a light top dressing (though only the first season,) 
of ground bones, loamy soil, rotten manure, and decayed 
carrion, — these manures are all, I have proved, great fer- 
tilizers of the vine, — covering the whole with an inch or 
two of half rotten stable manure, to prevent evapora- 
tion. 

" The vines planted on the inside of the house will re- 
quire attention at the root ; they want great support as 
their foliage becomes fully developed. I make use of 
liquid manure, diluted, and clear rainwater, alternately, 
but always in a tepid state. I never allow a vine border 
inside the house to be watered with cold water after veo-- 

o 

ei'ation commences, until the fruit or wood is ripe." 

Chapter 4th. " Presuming that all has gone on favor- 
ably the last season, you may expect a nice sprinkling of 
grapes from your young vines only planted one year ; 
but I caution the tyro not to be anxious in wishing to 
produce very early grapes ; if too sanguine, he v/ill do 
this at the expense, and to the great detriment, of the 
future welfare of his young vines. The first, or middle 
of March, I consider sufiiciently soon to begin forcing, 
the second year. A few days previous to commencing, 
lay on the border, to the width of twelve or fourteen feet, 
good fermenting stable litter and leaves, to the depth as 
mentioned for last season. The time your vines will take 
to break will be a fortnight or three weeks. (Previous 
to forcing, the vines must be washed with a composition 



78 THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 

of soap, sulphur, etc.) I generally keep my vines tied 
horizontally along the front until every bud is in motion. 
Keep a low temperature in the night, say 45°, till you 
perceive them all moving ; 15° or 20° higher in the day 
will do no harm, by sun heat, syringing them morning, 
noon, and night, and keeping a very humid atmosphere. 
When the buds are fully broken, tie them up to the roof; 
you may raise the temperature gradually in the night, up 
to their time of showing fruit, 8° or 10° ; the same 
by day, observing' to keep up a very humid atmosphere. 
Syringe lightly, and close your house early in the after- 
noon. Your vines will now be shovvdng three or four 
bunches at every eye left at winter-pruning ; by no 
means leave more than one bunch on each shoot, and one 
on the leading shoot. My jjractice is to stop the shoot 
on the spurs at one eye bej^ond the bunch, taking ofi* all 
laterals and tendrils as they appear. The leading shoot 
must be kept neatly tied up, divesting it of laterals, &c., 
as for last season, until it reaches the top of the house; 
you may then stop it, leaving a lateral or two to keep it 
in check, as well as on each spur, if danger is to be ap- 
prehended from the breaking of the natural buds. As 
they approach the time of blooming, raise the night tem- 
perature gradually to 65° or 68°, increasing the day tem- 
perature in the same ratio, keeping the house, when the 
vines are in bloom, rather dry." After the grapes have 
set, and are thinned, the temperature of the house is to 
be, at night, " say 65° ; and 85°, 90°, or 95° in the day, 
with a very humid atmosphere. 

" If cloudy, cool weather should intervene, keep up a 
brisk heat, by stirring well your fires early in the morn- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 79 

ing, and, up to midday, keeping up to 80^^, or 85° with a 
very humid atmosphere, allowing your fires, or boilers, 
to cool down in the after part of the day ; it is my prac- 
tice to give heat with light, and to reduce it with ap- 
proaching darkness. A vine, after vegetation is com 
menced until the fruit is ripe, should never receive any 
check. We will presume by this time, the grapes are 
stoned, and changing color. Again examine your out- 
side border ; if the heat has much declined, take part 
away, adding more fresh in its place, working all well 
up together to cause a brisk heat, which should be k(3pt 
up till your grapes are nearly colored ; by keeping the 
roots in a somewhat corresponding temperature with that 
to which the top is exposed, shanking and shrivelling 
have been discarded, and the effect produced noble spe- 
cimens of grapes without a shanked berry upon them, 
no matter whether a wet or a dry season. After the 
fruit has done swelling, you may remove the dung by 
degrees from the roots, and discontinue the humidity of 
the house, keeping up a brisk heat with plenty of air, so 
as to color the fruit more perfectly, after which time you 
may lower the house by degrees, keeping it cool and 
dry. 

" If, by this time, your wood a|)pears ripe, though the 
leaves may not have changed color, you may disbud you^- 
leading shoot, as mentioned for last pruning season, 
shortening it so as the joint of two years' growth may 
reach fifteen or sixteen feet; likewise, as the fruit 



, ^.xvv.»»xv^v., 



IS 



cleared, you may x:)rune your spurs, cutting them into 
two eyes. Give your border a top dressing, and in all 



80 THE CULTURE OF THE GliAPE. 

other respects follow v/hat was recommended for the pre- 
vious autumn." 

Chapter 5th. ''As the season approaches to start 
your young vines, wl.th their wood the growth of two 
years, many would object to letting them carry a heavy 
crop of fruit, but content themselves with a light sprink- 
ling, knowing it to be so adverse to the old-received prac- 
tice of managing young vines, and that prejudice having 
taken deep root for years in only a moderate soil, is bad 
to eradicate. However, it has been my intention in 
these pages to point out the errors, and improve upon 
the practice, of by-gone times, and I have been able to 
show by experience that every success will^ attend grape- 
growers, if the foregoing instructions be implicitly fol- 
lowed, and that they will have the pleasure of seeing, 
from vines the growth of two years, a noble crop of fruit, 
free from shanking or shrivelling, (as has been frequent- 
ly witnessed at this place, by many gentlemen, garden- 
ers and amateurs,) what is not commonly seen till the 
fourth or fifth year after planting. Presuming your vines 
were turned out last autumn,'- your border renovated, 
&c,, the middle of February will be soon enough to start 
your young canes this season, as it would be very injuri- 
ous to them to carry a heavy crop of fruit, and be start- 
ed very early. Use caution, begin steadily, and you 
vnll be better able to succeed permanently, and may, in 
succeeding years, begin a few weeks earlier each year, 
by practising which, you will bring them steadily into a 
proper state, by degrees, for early forcing. 

* This can never be done to advanta2;e in our northern States. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 81 

" Proceed as before advised, and lay on, to the depth 
of two feet or two feet six inches, and four feet wider 
than you think the extremity of the root reaches, of hot 
stable manure and collected leaves ; the leaves will assist 
the manure in giving out a more steady heat, and not so 
likely to vary with the weather, and, if thatched with 
straw or covered with any other light .material, would 
retain its heat much longer. Let the temperature at 
night be kept low, say 45° or 48° ; it may range in the 
day 15°, 20°, or 25° higher by sun heat, with air, syring- 
ing the canes with tepid water three or four times in the 
day, maintaining a very humid atmosphere, by throwing 
water on the pipes or flues, and sprinkling the pathways. 
I caution to "work steady, so as to break the whole of the 
eyes upon the young wood, (there will be no doubt of 
the spurs,) for, bear in mind, you, at winter pruning, left 
no more eyes than you absolutely wanted ; therefore, pro- 
ceed cautiously, — you cannot afford to leave one un- 
broken ; if that were the case, they might break the 
next season, but they would leave an unsightly and per- 
ceptible gap the whole of this year. If all has gone on 
well, in the course of three weeks or a month, your buds 
will be in motion, and, as soon as you fairly perceive 
that, sling them up to the wires, two feet from the glass, 
raising the extremity of the lead within one foot ; it will 
cause the lower buds to break more boldly : lower the 
lead as you see occasion. I generally let the vines re- 
main in that position until all the side shoots are stopped, 
out of bloom, and want thinning, especially the first 
house, as, by that time, there is no danger to be appre- 
hended from the frost. Up to the time the grapes are 



82 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 

commencing to bloom, keep up a veiy Immid tempera- 
ture by day, gradually raising the night temperature to 
65° or 68° at the time of blooming, raising the day tem- 
perature in proportion, I always keep the house humid 
and close from the time the buds have sprung two or 
three inches until they are changing color; (when in 
bloom they will require to be kept dryer.) I never give 
air, after the shoots are stopped, up to the fruit changing 
color, till the thermometer attains 80°, and this being a 
humid and cold climate, in dull weather I have the boil- 
ers worked in the fore part of the day, letting them cool 
down in the afternoon, so that I use little or no fire in 
the night; but, as I said before, give heat with light, and 
allow the house to get cool wdth darkness, the very re- 
verse of the old practice in forcing the vine. 

" As your fruit proceeds in swelling, keep the night 
temperature to the point as stated for blooming, until the 
berries are stoned ; you may then raise a few degrees, 
but at no period do I exceed Y0° in the night. They 
will now swell apace ; take off all laterals, keeping the 
house very humid; you may allow the temperature to 
rise, by sun heat, to 90°, 95°, or 100°, or even higher, so 
that you keep a very moist atmosphere. Examine your 
border when the fruit is stoned ; if the heat has greatly 
declined, add more fermenting material, for upon this, in 
an equal degree as on the temperature of the house, de- 
pends the success of noble swelled fruit. Your vines, if 
any are planted on the back wall, or otherwise inside the 
house, must have every attention paid them. as to mois- 
ture at the root, summer pruning, and, in other respects, 
be treated as the roof vines. When the foliage is fully 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, 83 

expanded and the fruit is swelling, tiiey will require 
water at tlie root twice or three times a week, given in 
such quantities as reason may suggest, using it in a warm 
state along with the drainage of the dunghill. If all has 
gone on well, the berries will soon begin to change color ; 
be cautious they do not receive a check, to avoid which, 
keep up the heat and moisture in the day. As the 
grapes aj)proach ripeness, suspend, by degrees, the hu- 
midity of the house, keeping np a brisk heat and giving 
plenty of aii\ Examine the heat at the roots at the time 
the grapes are changing color; if it. has begun to de^ 
cline, renovate it, keeping up a heat at the roots as high 
or higher than the temperature inside the house. You 
will see the benefit from this, in the grapes swelling to 
an uncommon size, with no fear of that pest, shanking 
and shrivelling. After your grapes are ripe, lower the 
heat of your house by degrees, keeping it cool and dry, 
removing the dung from the roots, as recommended in 
previous parts of this work, 

" On the coloring of grapes, we often hear it remarked 
that, though perfectly ripe, many are not well colored, 
black grapes more than white ; the loss of color in my 
opinion, is by an over-abundant crop. By the old me- 
thod of forcing the vine, it is the general practice in 
June to put out the fires, and to use little or none until 
September or October ; the change may happen at the 
time the fruit is changing color ; the house is then 
lowered in temperature, and kej^t cool and dry ; by suet 
practice, black grapes will attain a good color, (if a lighi 
or moderate crop,) subject to shanking, and at the ex- 
pense of size ; and black Hamburghs no more answer t 



84: THE CULTURE OF THE GKAFE 

their name, as regards the shape of the berrj, than a 
Black Prince resembles a Black Damascus ; you will al- 
ways find that they are small finger, or oval- shaped, 
whereas, grown by the practice I recommend, they are 
large, and nearly globular. It is quite practicable to 
grow fine, noble swelled fruit, and colored to perfection, 
to be certain of which, you must not allow the vines to 
carry too heavy a crop, keeping the temperature as re- 
commended in all their stages of growth through this 
work. In giving an opinion on the defect in the coloring 
of grapes, it is not given as the sole cause, for, at the 
time I am now writing, I have Hamburgh, Muscat, and 
other vines, carrying forty, fifty, and even sixty pounds 
weight of noble and good colored fruit, and have never 
had a shanked berry on them, though the viues were 
only planted three years in April last. 

" Pruning. It is my intention, in laying my practice 
before the public, to show that single rod and spur- 
pruning, in preference to long rod, will bring a viue tlie 
soonest to bear a perma'nent crop of fruit. We will pre- 
sume your vines ready for the pruning knife ; the foliage 
having shown indications of dropping, you ^may cut 
back your lead to within one foot of the top of the house, 
it will give you a little more cane ; having disbudded it 
some time ago, you will have only left two eyes for 
spurs, and the leading one proceed to prune downwards 
on the vine, pruning your spurs to two, three, or four 
eyes, choosing a bold, prominent eye or bud, (many may 
say they look unsightly, but you wnll be repaid with 
noble bunches on that head,) leaving the uppermost eye 
for fruit, cutting clean out the others with the exception 



THE CULTURE OF THE GIIAPE. 85 

of the one at the base, which is to be retained, but on 
no account to bear fruit, as it is intended to prune back 
to it the following year, so as to bring the spur nearer 
home. I must not omit to mention, that I have generally 
my bud singled out on each spur at the time I recom- 
mend for disbudding the lead, that is, taking off every 
bud above and below, (not injuring the leaf,) with the 
exception of the one intended to bear fruit, and the one 
above mentioned for wood, the following year. As soon 
as the wounds are healed after pruning, cover every cut 
you have made with a little mild paint. 

" You will have removed the dung from the roots at 
the time mentioned for last season. You will bear in 
mind the renovation of the border, and the protection, if 
required, from frost."' 

Chapter 6th. " Presuming the season is again ap- 
proaching for the development of your young vines, pro- 
vided you started them the latter end of February, last 
year, and you wish to have early fruit, you may begin 
three weeks or a month earlier, but by no means sooner, 
as it will be found the most conducive to their health and 
fruitfulness not to break in upon their habits too rashly. 
I cannot give, at present, (though I have some experi- 
ments in course of trial,) better instructions for the ma- 
nagement of this and succeeding years, than by follow- 
ing out the comprehensive culture the •whole of the 
season as plainly laid down in the foregoing pages, urg- 
ing the necessity of carrying out the whole practice as 
therein stated, by close attention to which, success will 
certainly follow. 

" Conclusion. In this attempt to lay down my prac- 



8Q THE CULTUIIE OF THE GRAPE. 

tice in as clear and plain a light as I am able, I hope I 
shall be excused the repetitions, almost unavoidable, on 
such a subject. It will be found in plain language and 
plain practice, (pirated from no one,) from which I have 
had great success. I am aware that, in presenting these 
hints to the public, I expose myself either to the smile 
or the frown of the critic ; whether he be lenient or se- 
vere, I must bear with patience the part allotted me, 
and only hope this work may be useful to some of my 
readers." 

This is the plan as practised by Mr. Eoberts ; the rest 
of the book consists of the author's views upon the dif- 
ferent systems of pruning, thinning, and of propagating 
the vine, with remarks upon the border as formerly made. 
A description of several kinds of grapes, for early forc- 
ing and other purposes, is added, and his own system 
praised and recommended as superior to any other. 

RemarTis relating to Ilr. Roberts's System. — Fx^om 
what experience I have had in fruiting the vine, it is my 
opinion that the plant is weakened and permanently in- 
jured by allowing it to bear fruit thus early. To show 
how this can be done, however, is one of Mr. Roberts's 
objects in writing his book ; there is no difficulty, where 
the border has been properly prepared, in fruiting vines 
the second season after planting ; but is it advisable so 
to do ? My own plan is not to fruit them till the third, 
and this, and the following years, suffering but a moder- 
ate number of bunches to remain on the vine ; by this 
plan, and by judicions thinning of the berries, the plant 
will be gaining strength yearly, and, if capable of pro- 
ducing more fruit than the limited crop you have left to 



THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 87 

mature, tlie bunches and berries will swell accordingly, 
and the weight of the grapes 'obtained will be increased 
in proportion to the strength of the vine, and the fruit 
of the colored kinds will be as black as possible, and 
the -flavor rich, vinous, and delicious, in striking contrast 
to that from a plant which has been taxed to its utmost 
in its efforts to ripen an over-abundant crop. 

A plant of the Esperione variety of the grape, ob- 
tained from Messrs. Hovej & Co. in the summer of 
1843, grown from a single eye that same spring, and 
planted out when grown three or four inches only, m^ade 
a remarkable growth ; had it been allowed, and had 
there been in the graj^ery room to have permitted it to 
have grown, I do not doubt the entire length of the cane 
would have been fifty feet ; it was stopped at about thir- 
teen feet early in August, and several times cut back 
after this, during this month and September, which 
caused the eyes on the upper part of the cane to break ; 
these produced very large bunches of fruit-buds, which 
were cut away in pruning; a second crop of fruit-buds 
appeared on new' shoots, which were also cut away, and, 
when the foliage was destroyed, the last of October, by 
frost, a third crop was on the vines, which had been al- 
lowed to remain, and the berries of which were of suffi- 
cient size to thin. 

In this case we have an instance of a vine which, in 
seven months from an eye, would have ripened fruit, 
had it been allowed. There was no artificial heating 
of the border, and no uncommon care bestowed upon 
the preparation of it. The soil used was one-half loam 
from the garden, from the spot where the border was 



88 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

made, wliicli had been well manured for several years, ^ 

the other half was coarse manm-e from a barn-yard, i 

where horses and oxen were kept; all the litter, and \ 

pieces of cornstalks, (Indian corn,) were mixed with it, ] 

and it was considered very coarse for the purpose ; the - 

depth of the soil was about eighteen inches, and the j 

bottom covered with rocks, as the situation was a wet ] 

one. ! 

I have frequently suffered vines of the Black Ham- ■• 

burgh. White and Grizzly Frontignan, Zinfindal, and ; 

other sorts, to bear fruit the second year from the eye, .1 

and have exhibited bunches of the last named variety at [ 

the rooms of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, j 

thus grown, which have weighed between two and three j 

pounds. Yines from Europe, after growing one season I 

only, have also been fruited, when it has been |)articularly < 

desired to prove tli^ correctness of the plant. But, in ■; 

almost every instance, the vines have been injured by it ; \ 

the imported ones the most so. : 

The border he recommends, should be prepared in a ■ 

' different manner from that advised by myself. But it ,i 

must be remembered, that, although we have more rain 1 

in this country than they have in England, yet the wet, ; 

cloudy, and foggy weather there is very much greater i 

than in the United States of America ; (the foggy wea- j 

ther in the province of I^ew Brunswick undoubtedly ; 

approaches that of England more nearly). Therefore, i 

is of questionable utility, the plan of main and cross ; 

drains. In America, the proportion of bright sunshiny ' 

days is much greater, also, than in England, producing 1 



THE CULTURE OF THE GR.4PE. 89 

severe drouglits ;^ and, us the vine cannot succeed in pro- 
ducing superior fruit witliout a proper supply of mois- 
ture, it is advisable to resort to some other method of 
avoiding too much wet. This can be done by using in 
the border a due proportion of broken bricks, 03"ster or 
any other shells, old mortar and small stones, fine char- 
coal, etc. ; all these articles have a tendency to keep the 
soil open, and to cause the water, when superabundant, 
to pass off; they also are porous and retentive, and very 

* In Loudon's Magazine, page' 303, for the year 1833, is a horticultural 
diary. By this it appears that, at the place of record in England, the wea.- 
ther of that year was 152 fine clear days, 83 cloudy, and 130 when it 
rained or snowed some part of the day. 

At Salem^ the average of three years is, 219 fine clear days, 66 cloudy, 
80 rainy or snowy, showing the difference, in the United States, of 66 days 
more of sunshine, 50 days less rainy or snowy, and 17 days less of cloudy 
weather. 

Notwithstanding this difference in the weather, the average quantitj'of rain 
which annually falls is greater in the United States than in England ; there, 
the mean average is 31i inches; in Salem, Mass., United States, 39 inches. 

The time of the year in which the grape is usually ripening, under glass 
structures, embraces seven months, say fi'om March to November ; during 
this period, in 1845, there fell, at Salem, 24 61-100 inches : in 1846, 
16 97-100 inches; in 1847, 27 49-100 inches. In the month of September, 
1847, there fell 6| inches, the greatest quantity in any month; and the 
effect upon the grapes was bad, a large part of them suffering from the rot. 

In England, there fell, during "1845, 23 33-100 inches; in 1846, 
27 71-100 inches; in 1847, 16 25-100 inches, the smallest quantity that has 
fallen in any year since the present century." — Gardeners' Chronicle, 1848, 
p. 24. 

A great difference is here shown in the year 1847. In seven months of 
that year in Salem, there fell 27 49-100 inches, when, in the whole year, 
but 16 25-1.00 fell in England. 

The extreme range of the mercury, by a Fahrenheit thermometer, for 
33 years, in Salem, Mass., latitude 42° 34', north, longitude 70' 54', west, 
was, in summer, 101° ; in winter, 13° below zero. In Philadelphia, lati- 
tude 39° 57', longitude 75° 11', in summer, 103°; in winter, 7° below zero. 



90 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. • > 

serviceable in yielding to the vine, in a season of drought, I 

the desired moisture. These articles should be incorpo- ] 

rated with the soil of the border ; not (as advised by this j 

gentleman,) laid in a mass of one foot depth at the hot- j 

torn. The material in the compost of the soil for the | 

border is unexceptionable, and the manner of preparing "-: 

it, with the exception of carcasses of animals, which j 

should be obtained at the time of preparing the border ; { 

or, whole bones substituted for them. Slaughter-house j 

manure may be used instead of both of these articles, ] 

when it can be had of a suitable quality, that is, when it j 

consists mainly of the offal of the slaughter-house, ; 

sheep's heads, hoofs, cfec, with a good proportion of | 

bones. j 

The system of growing the plants from single eyes, | 

and the manner of planting them in the border, is the ! 

common metliod as practised by gardeners generally, at ; 

the present time. '■ 

Soon after planting the vines commences the ojDeration ! 
of heating the border by manure piled over the roots. 

This is relied upon by Mr. Eoberts as the great good. \ 

The necessity for this artificial heat does not exist in the j 

summer months in the United States,. nor in the southern ; 

states at any season. A great objection to it is the ex- i 

cessive stimulus to the plant from such a quantity of | 

manure, which must be kept up every year, (after the | 

vine has become accustomed to it,) or the plant will Ian- I 

guish and cease to yield its fruit. In England, it unques- j 

tionably has, thus far, worked well ; but, by this plan of | 

heating the border, the roots are spreading with rapidity, ; 

and it seems inevitable that the time must come, when < 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GEAPE. 91 

the roots -have so extended themselves, tliat tliej will 
suffer for the want of further protection. 

Where grapes are grow^n under glass on an extensive 
scale, it would be difficult to obtain fresh stable manure 
in sufficient quantities (in most parts of our country it 
would be impossible,) to make it practicable, and the 
expense of so doing would be more than the value of the 
crop would warrant. In the vicinity of large cities, and 
occasionally in other localities, this manure may be ob- 
tained cheaply, and in suffi'cient quantities for the pur- 
pose ; where this is the case, the objection to it, on the 
score of expense, is obviated. 

A grapery one hundred feet long would require a 
burder one hundred and ten feet in length and twenty- 
four feet wide. As, by Mr. Eoberts^s plan, the border is 
to be covered with this heating manure and leaves /bi^r 
feet beyond where the roots of the vine extend, and two 
and a half feet deep, in a few years, or as soon as tlie 
^'ines have become established, it follows, that the enor- 
mous quantity of 65j/^ cords of manure would be re- 
quired, to cover in this manner, the border where the 
roots are now presumed to have extended themselves ; 
thus, one hundred and twenty feet long, twenty-eight feet 
wide, and two and a half feet deep. 

In our cold winter, I found it necessary to renew the 
heat by adding one fourth part of the new manure, and 
working it in with the old, every three or four weeks. 
On a border to a house winter-forced, that is, where forc- 
ing commences in December, this quantity of manure 
vvould be doubled by the renewals. It is true that you 
would have about half the original bulk of the manure 



92 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

in the summer for other uses, but much of the strength 
of it will have escaped by evaporation, or have been 
washed into the earth ; and where labor is so high as it 
is with us, the cost of working and making this heat, 
and removing it after the fruit has ripened, will be very 
nearly equal to its value. 

The cost of this manure at Salem, Mass., is $4:.50 the 
cord ; the expense of carting, from 50 cents to $1.00 per 
cord, according to the distance it has to be carried ; mak- 
ing the whole cost of the quantity required as above, in 
round numbers, STOO. 

On the rafters of a house of this length of border, 
which is to be winter-forced, eight hundred pounds of 
grapes would be a very large average 
CROP. On the back wall of the house, but 800 pounds, 
which would not be aifected by this heat 267 

on the border, one third of this quantity • 

would be as much as could be relied upon, 1067 j)ounds. 
and this is more than is usually produced 
in most graperies ; but my experience warrants me in 
placing it at about this amount. 

To judge of the practicability ol the j)lan, a short cal- 
culation will be necessary : — 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 93 

Cost of manure for tlie border, . . . $700 00 
Interest" on the forcing-lionse, at a cost of 
$15 the running foot, 100 feet, cost 
$1500, at six per cent., ... 90 00 

Annual breakage of glass and other wear, 

furnaces, &c., 4, 60 00 

Cost of fuel, 70 00 

Labor on fires, watering, manuring, trim- 
ming, and thinning grapes, . . . 200 00 



Whole cost of the crop of grapes, . . - $1120 00 

The value of the crop of grapes, 1067 pounds, would 
not net the producer more than the cost, and the proba- 
bility is, that there would be a loss to him. A very few 
pounds of grapes are sold in Boston, in April, at $2 the 
pound, and in May, at $1.50 to $2 ; but the main part of 
the crop would not sell at over $1 to $1.25. The cost of 
sending the fruit to market, and the expense of selling, 
is from twenty-five to thirty per cent. In England, the 
prices are so much higher that this process can be re- 
sorted to with reason. f 

* The cost of a winter forcing-house is much greater, by necessity, in a 
very cold cHmate than that of a house which only requires a slight artificial 
heat in spring. The extra heating apparatus alone is a great additional 
cost. 

•{• To show the. relative prices of grapes and forced fruits in the two 
countries, I here add a memorandum, from Loudon's Magazine, of prices at 
Covent Garden Market, vol. for 18^4, April, page 191: hothouse grapes, 
per pound, from £1 IO5. to £1 155-. Grapes are spoken of as being re- 
markably early, 28th of March. 

Vol. for 1835, April, page 270, grapes are quoted at from £1 to £1 4*., 



94 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE 

I have found the phm of covering the border with 
litter (as directed in my remarks on forcing,) to answer 
every purpose, and at a much less expense. 

I have a small stove or winter-forcing house, where the 
border is covered with movable glass, which is taken off 
as soon as the grapes are ripe, or the weather becomes 
warm in spring ; the border, under this, is covered with 
six or eight inches of coarse litter and leaves in autumn, 
and, on the outside, with the same materials, so as, in all, 
to cover about twentv feet. This answers the purpose 



and forced cherries at £1 lO.s. per pound, and forced strawberries, per 
ounce, Q>d. to Is. 'id. 

Yol. for 1836, March, page 219, forced strawberries are quoted at from 
2s. Gd. to 3s. 6d per ounce, and hothouse grapes at £1 IO5. per pound. 

Tlie same year, in April, page 272, strawberries are quoted at from Is. to 
25. per ounce, and grapes at from 10s. to £1 per pound. 

In May, page 328, strawberries were the same price, and grapes at from 
Gs. to 12s. per pound; nectarines and peaches at from £2 25. to £3 Ss. per 
dozen; cherries, per pound, from £1 to £1 IO5. 

In June, page 383, grapes were quoted at from 45. to 85. per pound ; 
peaches and nectarines at from 155. to £1 45. per doz. ; and cherries at from 
45. to 85. per pound. 

In August, page 498, hothouse grapes are quoted as at 35. to 55. per 
pound. The highest price for hotliouse grapes is in March, and by tliis 
standard, and in our currency, this is $8.47 per pound, and the value is 
constantly lessening till September. In August, they are at from 72 cents 
to $1.21 per pound. 

At Boston, in March, they sell at $2 the pound, and tliis price is gra- 
dually falling until August and September, when they can be bought at 
33 cents to 62 cents per pound. Forced peaches, nectarines, cherries, and 
strawberries, are at the same relative prices as grapes ; and, indeed, neither 
of these last-named fruits can be grown for market in this country, under 
glass, to yield the cost 'of production, at the prices customarily paid for them. 

The Gardeners' Chronicle for this year, 1848, quotes them at lower prices, 
$3 per pound being the highest mentioned. In Boston, in July, this year, 
they have been sold by the quantity as low as 50 cents, which is less than 
the cost 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 95 

very well, but in no way better than the plan alluded to 
above. 

On this border and under this glass covering I tried 
this system of hot manure in 1843. The only advantage 
I derived from it was the ripening of the fruit a few 
days earlier than usual. But the steam from the manure, 
when freshly made up, forced itself through the front of 
the house, by the sides of the sashes, &c., and destroyed 
the foliage of the vines, where it came immediately in 
contact with them. It is true that this would not have 
happened had the border not been covered. But the 
cost was more than the value of the crop, and the 
system has not been tried since for the purpose of 
forcing. 

In the summer of 1843, I built a grapery. The border 
was made according to the plan given by me in the first 
part of this work. It was not begun till August, and 
the vines were planted the last of that month, and a few 
of them in September. They were of different ages, 
some only two and three months from the eye, and others 
one and two years old ; they all came into fruit at the 
same time, and I never have been able to notice any dif- 
ference in their growth, or in their produce, since the 
first year. As these vines were planted at so late a pe- 
riod, I was fearful that they might not become sufficiently 
established in their new situation to survive the winter. 
To induce a rapid and promote a late growth, this me- 
thod of heat upon the border was resorted to, and with 
the desired efiect generally. Owing to the situation of 
the grapery, which is on a gentle slope, a few of the 
vines at the bottom of this were killed by the too power- 



96 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 

fill juices of the manure, wliicli, after a heavy rain, 
soaked down to them. A second and third set were 
planted and killed also, and it was only by removing the 
manure that I was able to make vines grow there. 

The plan has been abandoned by me as unsuitable for, 
and unnecessary in, this country. In some situations, 
where the ground is very cold and wet, and it is particu- 
larly desired to grow grapes without regard to the ex- 
pense, then it may be found advantageous. 

The disbudding of the cane is not advisable ; in En- 
gland, it may be serviceable on account of admitting 
light into the grapery ; by Mr. Eoberts's plan, a vine is 
never to have but twenty-one or twenty-three spurs. I 
])refer to have forty spurs, and, if the fruit is cut away 
from half of them, so much the better, for they can then 
be fruited alternately. 

It will be noticed, that it is recommended never to give 
air in the middle stages of forcing until the thermometer 
attains eighty degrees ; this is not my practice. In our 
climate, I would much prefer to give air gradually by 
opening the lights, or ventilators, a little, as soon as the 
mercury begins to rise from the influence of the sun's 
rays, and give more air as the day advances, having the 
greatest heat from 10 o'clock, A.M., to 2 o'clock, P.M. ; 
the same rule to regulate the closing of the wdndpws in 
the after part of the day. 

llie general remarks, as regards the heat from artificial 
means and the temperature of the house by night and 
day, are perfectly correct, and the advice given as to 
forcing, and the care requisite to prevent a check, are 
well worthy careful attention. It will be necessary to 



THE CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 97 

make due allowance for clifFerence of climate, if it is in- 
tended to follow out his plan entirely. For instance, he 
states that it has formerly been the practice to put out 
the fires in June in the grapery, even if the grapes were 
not ripe, and attributes to this cause some of the evils to 
which this fruit is subject under glass, and disapproves 
of this management, and goes on to say that the fires 
must be kept up until the fruit is ripe. It would be ab- 
surd, in this climate, to follow, literally, this advice ; 
sometimes in May, and frequently in June, we have very 
warm weather, the mercury rising to 80°, and sometimes 
to 90° in the open air ; at these times, the heat of the 
grapery cannot be kept -under 100° while the sun is 
shining upon the house, and any heat in the flue, or 
boiler and pipes, v/ould increase the difficulty. The fact 
is, such advice will not do ; you must regulate the heat 
by the thermometer, and, in warm weather, at this sea- 
son of the year, make, or omit to make, the fires, as the 
temperature of the external air may be. 

Mr. Roberts says, " tliat shanking and shrivelling have 
been discarded by his plan of keeping the roots of the 
vine in a somewhat corresponding temperature with that 
to which the top is exposed." It has occurred to me, 
that the great excitement given to the roots of the vine, 
by the manure heaped upon them, and consequent vigor 
of tlie vine, may have been the cause of the fruit not 
shanking or shrivelling. 

Mr. Roberts's idea may be the correct one, and yet 
shanking and shrivelling be avoided without using this 
method. If it is true, as Mr. R. states, that this diffi- 
culty is caused by too low a temperature at the roots of 



98 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

tlie vine, as compared with that in which the tops are 
situated, may not this be avoided by having a lower tem- 
perature in the grapery, particuharly in the night? I 
have, for many years, thought that this evil w^as often 
caused by too great heat, followed by too low a temper- 
ature. I can, at any time, cause these troubles in the 
forcing-house to appear, but am not always able to avoid 
them. A grapery without artificial heat is more subject 
to shanking than the forcing-house, notwithstanding the 
temperature of the earth, at the season of the year when 
such a house is liable to the attacks of this disease, is 
much higher, and the roots of the vine are enjoying a 
temperature relatively to the tops almost correspondent 
with vines in open culture. 

I have observed that, in a house where there was no 
means of warming it by fires, the crop of fruit has suf- 
fered most when, after a continuance of hot, bright, and 
dry weather, in August, or early in September, we have 
had a succession of cold, dark, and rainy days. In this 
case, the cause is, apparently, too low a temperature at 
the top of the plant, causing stagnation of the sap. A 
brisk heat from a fine, or any other artificial means that 
will give a free circulation to the air throughout the 
house, and raise it to a temperature near which it has 
been during the hot weather, will prevent its spread. 
The cold rain will have reduced the temperature at the 
roots of the vine, but in a much less degree than that to 
which the tops have been exposed, so that now the tops 
are relatively to the roots in a proportionately cooler at- 
mosphere than during the hot weather. It does Hot ap- 



THE CULTUPvE OF THE GKAPE. 99 

pear to me, that want of warmth at the root of the vine 
is the cause of the difficulty. 

These varieties of the foreign grapes which, in the 
grapery, are now so much affected by this change in the 
weather, when in the open air, and growing in the same 
soil, do not suffer in the least from this shanking. It 
therefore appears evident, that the cause of the difficulty 
must be looked for in the temperature and ventilation of 
the grapery. And these causes are, in my opinion, too 
great and sudden changes in the tem|)erature, and, per- 
haps, too great heat at night relatively to the day. 

A low temperature at night is not injurious to the 
vine,* on the contrary, it is probably beneficial. But the 
vine under glass, when the sun is shining, is subject to 
great heat, w^hich rapidly accumulates, and, on the obscu- 
ration of the sun's rays, as rapidly decreases. Here is 
the cause of the trouble : vines in the open air do not 
suffer from this pent up accumulation of heat, and are 
not excessively excited thereby, and, when cool," cloudy 
weather follows a warm, bright season, they are not 
checked in the flow of the sap, as the vine is, under 

'•• In 183G, when visiting the vineyards near the Rhine, and on the bor- 
der of the Lakes of Neufchatel and Geneva, I found the weather veiy cool, 
as compared with the temperature of that season of the year in Massa- 
chusetts, the thermometer, during August and September, ^-arying from 
43°, the lowest point at night, to 6^, and by day, the highest point being 
76° in the shade. Notwithstanding the low point at which the mercury 
fell during the night, the grapes ripened finely. The vines here, though 
siibject to an intense heat when the sun shone upon the vineyards upon 
the side of the hills, were, nevertheless, in an atmosphere which did not 
vary more Ihan 10° or 15° in the daytime, excepting when the sun was 
shining Upon them, and, being in the open air, there was no confined heat 
there. ■ , v 



100 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

glass, in a cold graperj, wliicli is now suffering from a 
change in the temperature of 40° in the daytime, and 
10° or 15° in the night. 

The Catawba grape, a native variety, is so subject to 
shanking under glass, that, were it desirable to cultivate 
it there, it would not be practicable. 

If the grapery, though not intended to be forced, is 
provided with a furnace and flue, or the Polraaise system 
of heatiuo- is introduced into the house, to be used when 
occasion may require it, (and there is nothing to be ap- 
prehended from this evil excepting when the grapes are 
changing color and taking their last swell,) there will be 
no danger of any serious loss of fruit, provided every 
other care is given to the house and crop as directed. 
But where the house is not provided with the means of 
artificial heat, promoting a free circulation of air in. 
bright days, by throwing open freely the doors and win- 
dows, and keeping as low a temperature as possible in 
warm weather, is the safest mode of procedure. The 
desire to ripen the fruit early, causes the house to be 
kept warmer than prudence dictates. In our climate, 
we are not always subject to this pest ; when the month 
of September is dry and clear, we escape altogether. 

Every conceivable reason has been assigned as the 
cause of shanking and shrivelling of grapes, by different 
gardeners, and as frequently a certain remedy has been 
recommended ; still, the evil exists. The term slianhwg 
is used when the stem of the bunch is affected, and sliri" 
"telling when only the footstalk of the berries is attacked. 
As this is the worst enemy the cultivator of this fruit 
has to contend with, I shail, m their own words, give the 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 101 

opinions of some practical people, extracted principally 
from London's Magazine : — 

Yol. 10, page 19, a writer thinks it caused by too great 
Leat at night. 

Page 267, an experienced grape-grower thinks it caused 
by damp, and recommends a good iire in the daytime, 
and to give abundance of air, to expel it, by which means 
the moisture evaporated is carried off. 

Page 137. Mr. J. D. Parkes, F. II. S., ISTurseryman, 
Dartford. " A variety of causes have been assigned for 
that disease in forced grapes which produces a shrivelled 
appearance in the footstalks of the bunches, more espe- 
cially in the Frontignans and Muscats. Some consider 
that it proceeds from the roots being too deep in the 
ground ; others think that it is occasioned by the temper- 
ature of the earth in which the root grows (when vines 
are planted outside the house) being so much lower than 
that of the atmosphere within ; and some attribute the 
disease to a want of air. 

" Having observed that early-forced grapes are, in gen- 
eral, free from this disease, and that it never occurs to 
grapes grown in the open air, and having found, in a 
house under my care, that some bunches immediately 
over a steam-pipe were free from it, I have come to the 
conclusion that the cause is stagnation of cold moist air : 
and the remedy, the application of artificial heat, to such 
an extent (even in summer, when the weather is cloudy,) 
as to admit, every warm day, of opening the windows 
sufficiently to occasion a free circulation of air. A gar- 
dener, to whom I stated this as my opinion of the sub- 



102 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

ject, lias j)ractised my plan, every year since, with the 
most complete success.*' 

Yol. 11, p. 493, the same author remarks : " In the 
paper sent you and printed in vol. 10, page 137, you 
omitted to insert what I think the most important mat- 
ter. In the paper alluded to, I considered it was from 
the footstalk of the berry not being grown sufficiently 
firm and hard, which I believe is the only cause. If the 
grape is grown in a humid atmosphere, it elongates the 
footstalk, and causes it to be of a slender, thin, delicate 
texture, and, in case of a sudden change, even for a short 
time, the footstalk is easily affected. When this injury 
takes place, as I believe, from the delicacy of the foot- 
stalk, the sap ceases to circulate in the manner required. 
I think this disease may be remedied by keej^ing the 
early -forced grapes with less humidity in the house than 
some use when the croj) is young, which helps to elon- 
gate the footstalk. In later grapes, if there were more 
air admitted, or artificial heat kept up in cold damp 
weather, either would remedy the disease ; but, as I sta- 
ted in my former paper, give air and artificial heat at 
the same time. As I am making this second attempt jto 
impress on the mind of the reader that the cause is real- 
ly in the footstalk, I can and will advance a few things 
to make it more evident. 

" I was asked this season, by a gardener, what I would 
say to a vinery being left a little open all night at top ; 
my reply was, I had not tried it, but I w^ould not hesi- 
tate in saying it was more likely to do good than harm. 
He said that there wqyq the finest grapes in a house so 
treated that he had seen all the season. I was askino; a 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 103 

gardener, about Christmas, how his grapes had done this 
year ; his reply was, Yery well ; I adopted your plan, 
(except one light, which I could not move,) giving plenty 
of air. The grapes under the light, which I could not 
move, were not so good as the others. In a house I had 
this disease take the crop, with the exception of a vine 
at the end, where the steam-pipe entered, producing a 
great and drying heat ; and there was a door, with a 
ventilator over it, which all aided to keep off the disease. 
This vine alone was always free from it : this speaks for 
itself. Perhaps many may think I am too sanguine on 
this subject ; but should I be right in my opinion, and in the 
means of producing a remedy, I shall be vain enough to 
tliink I have done some real good. Should any person 
really find the correctness of it, I hope they will do me 
the favor to acknowledge it in your magazine, which 
will be attended with some good ; and should it be fairly 
proved my idea is wrong, I invite the same insertion 
from those who may have proved it to be so ; but let 
them give it more than one trial, and fair ones, for I 
Lave no desire to mislead." 

Yol. 11, page 603. '' Having been troubled wdth the 
shrinking or shrivelling of grapes, more or less, for seve- 
ral years, I am determined to add my testimony to that 
of Mr. Parkes, that some good may be effected by leav- 
ing air in the house all night, &c. &c." This vmter 
agrees with Mr. Parkes in the ]3lan of giving air as the 
remedy, but does not admit that the length of the foot- 
stalk can be the cause. 

Yol. 12, page 2M. Mr. Jasper Wallace thinks that 
'' the principal cause of the shrinking of grapes is owing 



104 THE CULTUllE OF THE GRAPE. 

to the EOOTS BEING OYERnEATED and not having sufficient 
moisture, when phmted in the inside border." 

Yol. 13, page 261. Mr. J. Eobertson, I^Turserymanj 
says: " There has been much discussion in your maga- 
zine on the cause of, and remedy for, the frequent shriv- 
elling of grapes, about the period of ripening, in stoves 
and vineries. Being unluckily privileged, by my own 
ill success, to oiFer an opinion, I must attribute it, in my 
case, (for I think it may proceed from various causes,) to 
their being enveloped, at that season, in the warm, hu- 
mid atmosphere generally maintained in stoves. 

" In my former communication on the shrivelling of 
grapes, (vol. 11, page 603,) I fancied I had hit on a plan 
that, in some degree, prevented the footstalks of the ber- 
ries from turning black, but nowy after another year's 
practice, chance, as it. often does, has thrown in my way 
something which I never could have discovered without 
it. I am convinced, that too moist an atmosphere is not 
the cause of the shrivelling of grapes, but that it arises 
from the inability of the vine to provide a sufficient 
quantity of nourishment for the berries. The inability 
of the vine to provide for its fruit may arise from differ- 
ent causes, such as overcropping, the foliage being too- 
crowded, &c." 

Yol. 16, page 698. By W. H., (Mosely Hall.) " Sev- 
eral articles have appeared, at diiferent times, in the 
Gardeners' Magazine, on the shrivelling of grapes. I 
have tried every one of them, as they made their appear- 
ance, but without the least success. In Dr. Lindley's 
Theory of Horticulture, article Bottom Heat, it is there 
stated that the cause is, that, the roots being in a colder 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 105 

medium tlian the branches, the supply of sap is consum- 
ed quicker than the roots can furnish it, and. this brings 
on the disease. Dr. Lindley, every one must allow, is 
very high authority ; still I doubt this being the cause ot 
the blacking of the footstalks, which is the disease that I 
particularly wish to refer to. I have the management of 
three houses in which grapes are grown. One, I begin 
forcing the first of January, one, the first of February, 
and one, the first of March. The first house ripens its 
fruit in May, the second in June, and the third in July. 
In the first and second, there shall be no shrivelled ber- 
ries, in the third, if the weather is cloudy, there shall be 
a great many. The covering is taken ofiT the borders 
about the beginning of April, and, if the coldness of the 
borders was the cause, I should suppose that those which 
ripened in May and June would be more subject to the 
disease than the July one, for the earth undoubtedly 
gets warmer as the summer advances. I have been a 
grape-grower for more than twenty years, and, during 
that time, the disease has particularly engaged my at- 
tention, as I have always been more or less subject to it, 
and I am fully convinced that it is caused by the borders 
being made too rich and stimulating, and by a deficiency 
of light. My borders are all prepared in the same way, 
and of the richest materials, and the one that I com- 
mence forcing in March produces foliage of the most 
luxuriant description ; those large leaves require more 
light to elaborate the sap than smaller ones, and, if light 
is deficient, the sap is not properly prepared for the 
healthy nourishment of the fruit, and this brings on the 
disease. I have known vineries where borders have 



106 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

been made inside of the house, and vines planted against 
the back wall, and borders made outside, and vines 
trained up the rafters. The grapes upon the back wall 
have, eVery one of them, shrivelled until the vines upon 
the rafters had been shortened so as to admit the light 
upon the back wall, and then the grapes have done well, 
plainly proving that want of light was the cause, and not 
the want of heat in the border. In early forcing, I have 
covered one half of the border with hot dung and leaves, 
two feet thick, the other half, six inches, and I never 
could discover the least difference in the growth of the 
vines inside, or in the fruit. The larger the leaves are 
the more Jight they require to assimilate and decompose 
the sap ; and this, in my opinion, is the reason why early 
forced vines do not shrivel, their leaves scarcely ever 
being more than half the size of those begun in March, 
and the light in May and June is commonly greater than 
that of July, which is, in general, a dull and showery 
month. After trying everything that I had seen recom- 
mended as a remedy, and feeling fully convinced, in my 
own mind, that want of light was one of the causes, I 
thought I would try what effect proportioning the heat 
to the light would do. This I have practised for several 
years, and with a success beyond my expectation. 

In dull weather, I keep the house cool, and, when the 
grapes begin to color, if the weather is warm, I leave the 
top and front lights a little open, so as to keep up a re- 
gular circulation of air in the house night and day ; and, 
if the weather is cold and wet, I shut the front lights, 
and a little fire is made in the front flue so as to cause 
the air to circulate, but nothing like forcing is attempted. 



THE CULTUJIE OF THE GRAPE. 107 

By this simj^le mode of management, I have so far con- 
quered the disease, that, instead of losing half the bunches, 
I now only lose a few berries here and there in some 
of the bunches, and a few at the points of some of them, 
but not any of any consequence. I never expect to get 
entirely rid of it, as the great fault lies in the forma- 
tion of the border. We consider the vine to be a gross 
feeder, and therefore think that it is impossible to make 
the border too rich, but this is certainly a great error." 

Vol. 17, page 45. By Robert Wilson, Gardener. 
^' There has been so much discussion on the shrivelling 
of grapes, that I make bold to give my humble opinion 
also, more especially as I consider our friend W. H. (vol. 
for 1840, page 598,) not altogether correct in thinking 
that the shrivelling proceeds from the border being too 
rich and stimulating. Crowded foliage will be injurious, 
as far as preventing free access to light and air. l^or do 
I acquiesce with bur learned friend Dr. Lindley, in sup- 
posing that it proceeds from the roots being too cold for 
the internal atmosphere. I had vines under my care at 
Edgerston, in Roxburgshire, in the spring of 1837, when 
the thermometer stood at 13° out of doors, and the inter- 
nal atmosphere was 72°. The vines v/ere planted on the 
outside of the house, with their stems wrapped up with 
moss, and the border mulched. They were j)lanted in ;> 
compost of strong hazelly loam, formed from the swarc 
of a pasture thoroughly decomposed, and one fourth ve- 
getable mould of decayed tree leaves, one sixth of goof' 
rotten horse and butcher's grub dung, and a little shee] 
dung, with a moderate quantity of powdered bones an', 
lime rubbish. The borders were frequently watered witL 



108 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

liquid manure water from the drainings of a dnngliill, 
and we never had a shi'i veiled grape during tlie three 
years I was there ; and these grapes have never failed 
taking the first prize for the best flavored bunch at the 
Jedburgh Horticultural Society, for many years pa^t ; 
and there are vineries in this neighborhood that have 
borders not above three feet deep, upon a gravelly bot- 
tom, which have not been renewed this fifty years, that 
have had abundance of shrivelled grapes in tbeni every 
year lately. I think the foregoing remarks prove that it 
is neither the coldness nor the riciiuess of the border that 
is the occasion of the shrivelling, ^ow, in my opinion, 
damp, stagnant air is very much if not altogether, the 
cause of the shrivelling of grapes after they commence 
their second swelling. If there should not be a free cir- 
culation of air in the house, they will, shrivel, and, if the 
weather be wet or cloudy, they will not do vv^ith high 
forcing. I am certain, from experience, that W. H. is 
j)erfectly correct as to the air, and keeping a dry atmo- 
sphere." 

Yol. 17, page 47. Another writer says, "I^^ever thin 
out the berries until the seed is formed, and let the berries 
touch and press each other close when ripe ;" this, he 
says, will prevent all shanking. 

Yol. 17, pages 47 and 48, J. W. B. says, want of food 
is the sole cause, and " this deficiency of nutriment 
might arise from various causes, but, undoubtedly, the 
principal one is a bad border ; under which head, I in- 
clude not only poor hungry soils, that are incapable of 
supporting a plant in vigor, but those deep and narrow 
pits of rich earth in which vines are generally planted, 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 109 

and even borders of proper dimensions, if tlie snhsoil is 
wet and the drainage imperfect. Depend u])on it, the 
must essential condition in vine cnlture is a border so 
constructed as to insure a ready passage of superabund- 
ant moisture in the wettest seasons. The young fibrous 
roots of vines are exceedingly tender, and soon rot when 
soddened in cold wet soil ; consequently, the plant, be- 
ing thus deprived of its mouths, may starve in the midst 
of plenty. According to the extent of the injury to the 
roots, so will the fruit suffer. On the same principle, 
(deficient nutrition,) over cropping will produce the same 
result, even when the roots are in a healthy state." 

Any quantit3^ of extracts might be added to these, but 
the above are sufiicient to show the extent of the disease, 
and the principal reasons assigned for its cause by prac- 
tical men. The Frontignans and Muscats are more sub- 
ject to the evil than any other varieties, and the cause in 
these cases UBdoubtedly often may be, injury to the roots 
from too much moisture : for these vines will not suc- 
ceed in any situation but where the roots can be kept 
dry, at the approach of the period for the maturation of 
the fruit- "Nor will they succeed thus situated, unless 
they have a free circulation of hot air around their tops ; 
and, when the fruit is ripe, this circulation of air must 
be continued, and attention given to keeping it as dry as 
possible, otherwise the fruit will soon decay. 

In conclusion, it may be, in my opinion, thus summed 
up, that shanking or shrivelling is a disease peculiar to 
the graioe in its culture under glass structures, caused by 
a deficiency of nourishment, which deficiency is occa- 
sioned principally by a defective atmosphere in the house, 



110 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

causing stagnation in the flow of the sap ; and this diffi- 
culty may be increased, and the spread of the evil pro- 
moted, by various causes, — such as a poor border, general 
weakness of the vines, overcropping, and chiefly by not 
paying due care to the ventilation of the house. Where 
the person in charge of the grapery has command of ar- 
tificial heat, by following, to the letter, all the directions 
given by me for the culture of this fruit, and constantly 
causing the temperature of the grapery to be as directed, 
he will have little to api^rehend from this trouble. 

If it is intended to plant vines, to be trained on the 
back wall, the soil, on the inside of the house, must be 
prepared, as directed for the border on the outside. 

If figs are to be planted, the same border is recom- 
mended. 

Peaches do not require a rich border, and, for them, 
the natural soil will be suitable. 

To improve a poorly made, or exhausted border, in a 
liouse already built, where the vines do not succeed well, 
the following process is recommended as best adapted to 
cure the original defect : — 

In the spring, have the border covered with two or 
three inches of lime rubbish, or oyster shells ; let this be 
forked into, and well mixed with, the soil ; after this, 
have the whole border covered, two feet deep, v/ith fresh 
stable manure, — the nevv^er the better ; the object being 
to cause a strong heat above the roots of the vine, thus 
drawing them to the surface. This should remain on the 
border two months, when it may be removed. It is pro- 
bable, the young roots will have penetrated the border. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. Ill 

and be growing in the under part of the manure ; if so, 
these must not be injured, for, if they should, the benefit 
expected from the operation would be lost ; when it is 
found that this is the case, that part of the manure must 
remain on. After removing the manure, the border 
should have a top dressing of three or four inches of 
well decomposed cow or hog-pen manure. 



PLANTING THE VINES. 

In planting, which is the next operation, open a hole 
sufficiently wide to admit the roots being spread out to 
their entire length ; care must be taken to spread out all 
the roots separately, without injury to the small ones, 
and do not let them overlay or interfere with each other ; 
make the soil fine, and cover them with an inch or two 
of it ; with a rose watering-pot, settle the soil and roots, 
by giving them a thorough watering ; finish covering, 
and do not water them again.* They should be planted 

^ I recommend the planting of vines for the crop of fruit on the back 
wall as being the most likely to give satisfaction ; for, although they do 
not give as large crops as the rafter" vines, yet they yield better fruit than 
the peach ; the fig does well thus situated. When the house is strongly 
and early forced, peaches and cherries do not succeed; the fruit of the 
latter, if it was sure, would be desirable, but it requires more air in setting 
than is good for the grapes. 

" Vines do better with their roots inside the house than outside, if well 
managed, and nothing placed on the soil in which they grow. — Gardeners' 
Ohronicle, p. 680, Oct. 1846. 

I am wilhng to admit, that vines do as well, thus planted, when as it is 
said, they are " well managed," but they requhe more care in watering, 
etc. I am not willing to allow that they do better, and never would advise 
the rafter vuies to be thus placed, unless they can roam at pleasure in the 



112 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

about three inches under the surface, and three to four 
feet apart; if the border is only twelve feet wide, five 
feet is near enough, or, if very large bunches and grapes 
are desired, without regard to the quantity produced, 
they should never be nearer together than four feet, be 
the border narrow or wide. If the house has been built 
on posts, as directed, let the head of the vine, after plant- 
ing, be three inches from the front, on the inside, — the 
roots being on the outside. If the vines are planted in 
the fall, they should be cut back to three eyes imme- 
diately ; but, if planted in the spring, they must be al- 
lowed to grow until the shoots are one inch long, when 
rub off all but the three lower shoots.* 



VINES FOR PLANTING. 

The vines for planting should be in pots, and one or 
two years old ; before planting, they should be kept 
quite dry a few days, as the roots are more easily sepa- 
rated. 

If the plants are growing, leave off watering them 
until they begin to droop, when you can plant them out ; 
the risk of injuring them will be lessened, and the free 

open border; wlien the vines are planted on the inside, the roots will 
grow with rapidity, and push as straight as possible for the border outside 
of the house,' thus proving that they prefer to be under the influence of the 
full effects of the sun, air, and rain upon the soil. 

Do not shake the vine after planting, as sometimes advised ; it can do no 
good, and will probably break some of the rootlets. 

* If the border is in a suitable condition, the vines do equally well when 
planted at any time after the fall of the leaf. If they are in pots, I know 
of no reason why they may not be planted at any season of the year. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 113 

watering, after the roots are spread oat, will immediately 
settle them in their position, and thej will grow rapidly. 
If grown on the place, or to be obtained near, young 
plants, in pots, just rooted, can be used. Turn them 
out with the ball of earth entire, and plant, without dis- 
turbing the roots, on the inside, near the front of the 
house. ^ I have planted such vines, and they have come 
into bearing as soon as older ones ; they are to be pre- 
ferred to old vines, as the latter are very much injured in 
transplanting, if they have been growing in the open 
border ; if in pots, the roots are so matted together, that, 
in separating them, many will be broken off. 



GRAFTING- THE VINE. 

T. A. Knight, Esq., in a paper read to the Horticul- 
tural Society, in.September, 1821, says, "I selected three 
cuttings of the Black Hamburgh grape, each having at 
its base one joint of two years' wood ; these were in- 
serted in, or rather fitted to, branches of nearly*the same 
size, but of greater age, and all succeeded most per- 
fectly. The clay which surrounded the base of the grafts 
was kept constantly moist, and the moisture thus supplied 
to the grafts operated very beneficially, at least, if it was 
not essential to the success of the operation." 

Mr. J. D. Parks says, " The best time for grafting is 
when the stock is far advanced in growth as the setting 
of the fruit. The stock should then be cut down, the 

* See Growth of Yine, remarks relative to Mr. Roberts's system. 



114 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

scion having been kept in a dormant state. — Loudon's 
Magazine^ page 494, vol. 12th. 

In grafting vines, I Iiave cut them off at the surface 
of the ground, and with a knife have split the stump in 
the middle and inserted the grafts, cut in a wedge shape ; 
they have always grown. (See grafting, as practised by 
Mr. Cleveland and Dr. Sidney Weller.) 



TBEATMENT OF THE VINES. 

First Year. 

The first year, they should not be forced, but allowed 
to push naturally as the season advances. 

In the vicinity of Boston, they will push their buds 
early in April ; let the shoots from the three eyes grow 
until they are two or three feet long ;* train up the lead- 
ing one to the roof, and stop the other two, by pinching 
off the end of each ; the leading cane must be stopped, 
when it reaches the toj3 of the rafters ; the vine will be 
strengthened, by allowing it to make a free growth ; 
after September, stop all shoots as they push, that the 
vine may the better ripen the wood.f 

Early in the spring throw open the house and give air 

* Perhaps it is best to allow all the lateral shoots to grow, the first three 
months of the first season after planting, to guard against accident to the 
leading shoots, as any check to the growth of the top is felt, in a corre- 
sponding degree, by the roots. For instance, if only one shoot is behig 
■ trained up, and this should be broken out, and the vine should make a 
second, it would be but a weak one, and a loss of one year in the fruiting 
would be tiie result. 

f Vines Avill grow as rapidly in a moist temperature of 80" or 90" as 
under any circumstances. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 115 

fi 

B 





A, is the vine after it has been cut back at planting. 

B, shows it at the end of the first year. 

C, shows it cut back at the fall pruning of the same year. * 
JD, the end of the second year. 

E, at the end of the second year, cut back for fruiting. 

F, at the end of the third summer. 

G, the end of the third summer, cut back. 

If the spurs become too long in a few years, you must allow one of the 
ihoots, that are constantly pushing on the back wood of them in the 
spring, to grow, and, at tlie fall pruning, cut back to it. 



116 THE CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE. i 

freely, continuing to do so during the season, wLen the i 

mercury is above freezing ; it is best to shut up the ! 

house at night, leaving one or two lights a little open, I 
to let the moisture escape. It will not be necessary 

to syringe the vines, provided they have ample moisture i 

at the roots. If the weather is dry, and the vines are I 

not growing well, give them two gallons of water each i 

at night, and repeat this two or three times a week while ! 

the drought continues. If your border is poor, liquid j 

manure should be given occasionally. \ 

After the leaves have fallen, which will be in October, i 

or early in November, cut back the two s'purs to one eye, I 

or bud, each, and the long cane to two eyes.. If any in- j 

sect has been troublesome, to destroy them, or their eggs, j 

wash the vines carefully v/ith soap suds, moderately [ 

strong. The first of December, protect the vines for the i 

winter, by a covering of strav^, or Russia mats ; the ; 

border must also be covered with seaweed, or coarse lit- \ 

ter, to protect the roots from frost. This completes the ! 

management for the first year. I 

Second Year. \ 

\ 

The second year, as the spring advances, and the pow- ' 

er of the sun increases, open the windows and doors of : 

the house to let the heat escape, and to prevent the : 

vines bursting their buds, shutting up again before night ; | 

do not hasten the pushing of the vines, but rather keep j 

the house cool until the tenth of April, when it will be j 

best to uncover them ; promote a free circulation of air \ 

in bright weather ; give some ventilation on cloudy days ; ; 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 117 

shut lip the house before the sun sets. About the mid- 
dle or last of May, the four eyes will have grown, each, 
one or two feet ; train up the strongest of the two on 
last year's wood, and shorten back the other three, by 
pinching off the ends of the shoots ; during the season, 
give plenty of air in line weather, and shut up the house 
at night. The best way of training the vines is by iron 
rods, parallel with the rafters, having three of them ; a 
centre one, to which should be tied the cane, and one on 
each side of this, about eight inches distant, to tie the 
bearing shoot to ; in a cold house, they should be ten 
inches from the glass, and, in a forcing one, fourteen 
inches."^'* 

As the leading cane grows, tie it carefully to the rod, 

* Some persons prefer the rods to run horizontally the whole length of 
the house, which is the preferable mode when the vines are planted at 
three feet distant from each other, and no regard ig paid to placing them 
under the rafters. This is the method used in the houses which I have 
recently erected. On the front, or upright part, there should be two of 
these ; the first about eigliteen inches from the ground, the second at the 
proper distance (10 or 14 inches,) from thereof; on the rafters, the first one 
should be placed about twelve inches from the plate, and the last, or upper 
one, at about fifteen inches from the ridge-pole ; the intervening ones may 
be at distances of three or four feet, as deemed best. Witli this method of 
training, small wires, running parallel with the rafters, should be attached 
to the ridge-pole, or upper rod, and, resting on the other rods, be brought 
down and secured to the sill, one on each side of the stem of the vine, at 
about ten inches from it, to support the lateral, or fruit bunches. The rods 
should be of one quarter inch iron, secured at the eiads to the wood work 
by screws. In tlie interior, they must be fastened to the rafters by iron 
pieces, which should be three eigliths of an inch in thickness, and five or 
six inches- long; these are secured by two screws (on a flattened end,) into 
the raft,ers, with a socket on the other for the rod to rest in, which must be 
closed firml}"-, by pincers, after insertion. 

Yines on the back wall may be trained on wire, or other trellis, as may 
be most convenient. (See trellis for out-door training.) 



118 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

or trellis ; stop all tlie laterals as they appear at one eye 
or leaf; continue to clieck them, as they push again, in 
the same way. The second shoot on last year's wood 
may be cut entirely out in June, or, as soon as it is cer- 
tain that no accident to the leading cane will require the 
use of this as a substitute ; the shoots on the sj^urs of the 
old wood must be stopped, as often as they push, by cut- 
ting them back to one eye. 

Stop the leading cane when it has grown about fifteen 
feet, and before it reaches the top of the house ; allo\7 
the upper lateral to grow ; this will prevent the eyes on 
the upper part of the cane from bursting. Tiiis lateral 
should be cut back to one eye, after it has grown three 
or four feet ; if it still continue growing strong, check it 
again. 

Early in July, dust sulphur on the floor of the house, 
to prevent mildew ; to be effectual, one pound should be 
used for every twenty square feet of the house. If mil- 
dew should make its appearance, and continue to in- 
crease, syringe the vines at evening, and dust the foliage 
also with it.'"' 

Mildew is a fungus, which perfects its seed in a very 

* Nathaniel Silsbee, Jr., Esq., informs me, that in his grapery, wliieh is 
a cold house, ho covers the floor twice, every summer, with sulphur, and 
recommends its application in the middle of the day, as, at that time, part 
of it will rise and settle on the vine, but, iff such small particles, as to do 
no injury. He has found this effectual in preventing mildew. If this fun- 
gus makes its appearance before the sulphur is apiolied, it will be more dif- 
ficult to suppress its growth. It has been very troublesome, in late houses, 
this July, (1848,) and I had to dust the foliage and fruit before it was.check- 
ed, and the quantity used was much greater than that named above. In 
early houses, I never have it. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 119 

short time, and spreads rapidly over the fruit and foliage, 
if not destroyed. When only a little of it appears, wip- 
ing with a soft cloth will remove it effectually. It usu- 
ally comes on the vine in Massachusetts, in foggy weath- 
er, in July and August, and resembles white mould ; 
when observed in this fresh condition through a micro- 
scope, it is very beautiful. Another evil, a disease to 
which the grape is subject, appears on the vines and de- 
sti*oys more or less of the foliage at the same season of 
the year, and with the same wreath er ; it is called the 
hlight. The two are often confounded, and considered 
the same. I know of no remedy for it. The mildew is 
promoted in its growth by dampness, and by the east 
winds. It operates singularly. A vine in the open air 
in my garden, trained on the south of the house, is very 
little injured by it; branches of this vine, extending 
round the corner of the house to the east side, are yearly 
so badly affected that the fruit is valueless. Downing, 
in the Horticulturist, says, " that giving the soil a plenti- 
ful supply of plaster of Paris, and this turned under im- 
mediately, is a complete protection against mildew in 
the open air." I have tried free applications of this rem- 
edy, sulphate of lime, and have not derived any benefit 
from it. Other persons have recommended lime and 
ashes to be applied in the same way to the soil, as a cer- 
tain preventive. * 

The rust on grapes, which seems to trouble English 
cultivators, does not prevail to any extent in the north- 
ern states of America. What little there is, usually is 
produced by the grapes coming in contact with the moist- 
ure of the hand, or the hair. When the grapery has 



120 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

back and end walls, waslimg tliern with lime and snlphur 
is useful as a preventiva against mildew. 

In September, begin at the lower part of the cane, and, 
with a sharp knife, cut clean out all the laterals for eight 
or nine feet, leaving those on the upper part of the cane 
to be cut out in the autumn pruning; be careful, in do- 
ing this, not to injure the bud or the leaf of the cane 
where you cut, for from, this eye your fruit is to come 
next summer. 

As soon as the leaves are falling, cut back the cane to 
eight or nine feet, and the two spurs to one eye, each. 

Yfith a painter's brush, put on the vines a composition 
of soft soap and sulphur, in the ^^roportion of four pounds 
sulphur to two pounds of soap ; be sure to cover all the 
wood, and particularly around the eyes. To prepare this 
wash, mix the two substances well together when cold, 
and pour hot water upon them ; it should be of the con- 
sistency of creaiu when put on the vine. You can thick- 
en this wash wntli a little clay. 

The first of December, lay down the vines, horizontal- 
ly, near the ground on the front of the house, and cover 
them from the sun. Russia mats are the best for this 
purpose ; cover the border as last year. 

This wnll end the second season of their growth. So- 
far, we have considered the house a cold one, or without 
fire heat ; if the vines have been planted in a greenhouse, 
and a lire kept up, then they will have started in Febru- 
ary or March ;" if they are so situated, let the house be 

* The only serious objection to growing grapes in a greenhouse is the 
trouble caused from insects which infest the plants in the pots, and spread, 
not unfrequentlv, over the vines. The red spider is the most injurious, and, 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 121 

kept at as low a temperature, night and day, as tlie safe- 
ty of the plants will admit ; the treatment should be the 
same for the season, except the covering of them with 
mats, which would be unnecessary. 

Third Tear. 

The third season, air the house, as directed the last 
year ; uncover the vines from the first to the middle of 
April, as the spring m.ay be mild or cool ; keep them in 
their horizontal position, until the eyes have all pushed ; 
have a moist atmosphere, by sprinkling the vines and 
the floor several times every day. About the tw^entieth 
of April, or the first of May, they will have pushed their 
buds so as to be all ready to be put to the rods, or trellis. 

During the season, give air freely when the sun shines ; 
shut up the windows towards night, as the sun recedes 
from the house. The mercury should not rise above 
seventy-five, until the blossom is over ; after that has 
passed, eight}^ or ninety, at midday, will do no harm ; 
occasionally, wet the fioor of the house -in the afternoon; 
the inside border must be watered as often as the roots 
of the vine require ; continue this treatment for the- sea- 
son. As the grapes begin to color, be cautious in 
watering, and, after they are fully colored, do not give 
water at all until the grapes are all cut, leaving open 

in the autumn, the insects, (if any,) when the leaves drop, are, by these 
means, conveyed to the plants again. In the treatment of the vine thus 
situated, the rules for pruning, thinning, &c., must be followed. As re- 
gards temperature, etc., they must be subject to the treatment given to the 
plants, so long as the plants are in the house. It will be the better plan to 
keep the vines from pushing, as long as possible, in spring, by having as 
low a temperature as the plants will thrive in. 




122 THE CULTUHE OF THE GKAPE. 

some of tlie lights at night, unless there is danger of 
frost, or rain. 

About the last of May, the shoots will be from one to 
three feet long ; train up the leading one the same as last 
rear, and cut back the others to one leaf beyond the 
bunch of fruit to be retained for ripening ; the bunch 
nearest the cane is the one usually left on for this 
purpose f' cut off all the others ; nevcF leave more than 
one bunch on a spur, and cut away all the fruit from 
every alternate spur ; when this is done, and there are 
still more than oight good-sized bunches remaining, 
reduce them to this number ; these will be quite enough 
for the vine to mature the first year of bearing ; if the 
bunches are very large, you must cut off still more ; do 
not allow over ten pounds of fruit to ripen ou each vine ; 
they probably will average not less than one pound to 
the bunch. 

Occasionally, it will be necessary to go over the vines 
and stop the laterals that push on the leading cane and 
on the spurs, by cutting them back to one eye ; it will be 
found a saving of labor, to perform this pruning at regu- 
lar intervals of a fortnight during the season ; continue 
this until they cease growing ; the leading cane should 
be stopped as soon as it reaches the top of the house, 
leaving one or two laterals at the top to grow a few daj^s, 
w^ien you should cut back one of them, and leave the 
other a few days longer, when that must be cut back also. 

* It sometimes happens, that a spur will have four or five bunches on 
the shoot, the nearest one to the cane being at the second leaf; when this 
occurs, it is best to leave, for ripening:, the second bunch, cutting away the 
others. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 123 

I do not syringe the vines after they are trained to the 
trellis, and do not think it ever necessary, provided the 
house is kept moist by watering. 

The vines will begin to bloom early in June ; when the 
berries are as large as peas, begin to thin them ; cut out 
all the small ones first ; no rule can be laid down as to 
the number to be taken out of each bunch, for the same 
kinds set their fruit more or less thickly in difi'erent 
years, and in different situations. Of Black Hamburgh, 
I usually cut three out of five berries ; of Zinfindal, eight 
out of ten ; of Chasselas, when they set well, five out of 
ten : experience will soon teach one what is proper to be 
done. If the shoots from the spurs have not been tied 
to the rods, they should be as soon as the thinning is 
over ; do this carefully, and let them be at equal distan- 
ces ; a little attention to this will improve the appearance 
of the vines very much. 

Examine the bunch as the grapes swell ; if they are 
pressing together, cut out still more, always taking the 
smallest berries. In thinning, avoid touching the grapes 
with the hand ; the moisture of the fiesh causes rust ; if 
it is necessary to handle the bunch, gloves should be 
worn. After they begin to change color, if it is necessary 
to thin them more, the scissors must be used cautiously, 
in order not to injure the bloom, and thereby destroy the 
beauty of the bunch. 

Early in July, spread the sulphur, as directed the last 
year. The grapes will begin to change color in August, 
and to ripen about the middle of September. 

" If the fruit-bearing branch be not very vigorous, it 
ought, in July, to be cut off close to the fruit. In the 



124 THE CULTUEE OF THE GEAPE. 

lieat of summer, some leaves are necessary over the fruifc 
to shelter it from the sunbeams until it is half ripe, and 
then bareness* is requisite to brmg it to maturity." — 
The Com/plete Gardener^ eto.^ hy If. De la Quintiney^ 
London^ 1719, page 157. 

" JSTets may be used to prevent birds eating the fruit, 
and vials with water and honey, or a little sugar, hung 
upon the branches, will induce llies to drown themselves, 
which, (when a considerable number are in,) must be 
emptied, and renewed as before." — Ihid, 157. 

When ripening oif, if the berries do not swell or colgr 
well, and, in black varieties, are of a pale red color, feeling 
soft, if touched, you may be assured the vines are not 
strong enough to ripen the crop ; cut off the lower part 
of the bunch of some, and the whole of others ; selecting, 
for this purpose, the bunches which are the most affected 
in this way, and reducing the quantity on the vine one 
third, or one half, and do so as soon as you suspect this 
is the case ; by these means, you may save the residue 
of the crop, and, at the same time, relieve the vine from 
the exhausting effort of attempting to mature it. This is 
a trouble caused by overcropping, and is entirely distinct 
from what is usually termed shanking ;f for this disease, 

* The leaves on the shoot bearing* the fruit must never, on any consider- 
ation, be removed ; if necessary to let in air and light, prune out the laterals 
and cut back to the bunch. The whole tenor of this remark is only 
applicable to European culture ; with our American varieties, this practice 
would be highly improper. It would be better never to prune or stop a 
shoot than to do thus. I would advise the opposite, and say, if a shoot is 
very vigorous, and is drawing an undue share of the sap to itself, to the 
detriment of other parts of the vine, check it by stopping the end of the 
branch, to promote the growth of the weaker ones. 

•j- Shrivel or shanking in grapes is caused by a disease on the skin of the 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 125 

after it has once taken hold of the bunch, there is no 
remedy ; the part aflected must be lost. In September, 
cut out all the laterals from the new cane, as directed 
last year. 

This treatment of the vine will give you delicious 
fruit, well-colored, and, consequently, high-flavored ; in 
black grapes, it may be laid down as a general rule, that 
wlien fully ripe^ the blacker the grape, the more spirited 
and richer the juice ; bunches w^eighing about one pound 
are usually better ripened than larger ones. The berries 
of the Black Hamburgh, grown by these rules, w^ill 
measure tljree and four inches round. This grape is of- 
ten grown of a slightly reddish tinge, and sometimes 
wdth very large berries, very svv^eet, indeed, but deficient 
in flavor. 

This is a simple process, but the practical operation of 
it involves much labor and unremitted attention: After 
all is done that is required by pruning, thinning, watering, 
&c., much depends upon the proper ventilation and heat 
of the house ; this must be opened and shut as the 
weather changes ; if clouds are constantly passing during 
the day, and the sun alternately obscured or shining, it 
will be difhcult to regulate the temperature ; a partial 
opening of the top lights will allow the heat to escape, 

footstalk, or stem of the bunch ; in either case, it causes the fruit beyond 
the affected spot to shrivel, turn acid, and become worthless. "When only 
the footstalk is injured, it is termed sln-ivel; when a shoulder, or part of the 
main bunch, it is said to be shanked. When it first appears, it is of a 
brown color, and is on one side of the stem only ; at this time, removing 
the spot with a sharp knife will often stay its progress ;. when this is not 
done, it will soon spread around and meet, thu8 girdling the part affected, 
and as completely destroying the fruit beyond, as if it had been cut off. 



126 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

and prevent too great an accumulation of it ; the person 
having charge will soon, by attention, ascertain how 
much ventilation is required under such circumstances. 

It ^vill be preferable to have a low temperature, and 
changing betw^een sixty-five and eighty, than by having 
the house closed, the heat raised, for even a very short 
time, to one hundred, or one hundred and twenty, wdiich 
would be the case in changeable weather, should the sun 
shine forth suddenly, and the house be entirely closed. 
This must never be allow-ed, but, as soon as there is a 
prospect of the sun shining, open the lights a little, and 
continue opening as the heat increases. 

Avoid sudden changes of the temperature as much as 
possible, and the air should, at all times, be admitted 
gradually." 

* In regulating the temperature of the grapery, care should be had to 
prevent the too great accumulation of heat from the sun ; to avoid this, the 
windows, or the ventilators, must be opened a little as soon as the heat 
begins to increase, and thus, little bj little, as the mercury rises ; by this 
method, jonv vines will not be exposed to the injurious effects of sudden 
changes, as would be the case, if you allowed the windows and doors to 
remain closed until the sun shone full and strong upon it; in such manage- 
ment, upon admitting air, the temperature would be lowered in consequence, 
which, with an increasing of the sun's rays, would be highly improper, and 
should never be allowed. Some sudden change may render this rise of 
temperature, in a degree, unavoidable; if this should occur, air must be 
allowed to enter at once, in sufficient quantity to prevent any further 
accumulation of it. 

In a grapery without artificial heat, it is best to accustom the vines to a 
plenty of air, and a temperature somewhat in consonance with that without. 
Should you, in bright and fine weather, use them to a very high 
temperature, the vine would be made to require this, and, at the time of 
ripening of tlie fruit, when the climate is always cooler, should the v.^eather 
be cloudy, or otherwise unpropitious, you would have no means at command 
to raise the temperature, and the consequence vrould bo a loss of part of 
the fiuit hy slirivel and shanhlng. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 127 

I'H^ever allow any of the leaves of the vine to be taken 
off for the purpose of admitting the sun to the grapes. 

If aphis, or the vine-fretter, appear on the vine, fumi- 
gating the house with tobacco will destroy them. If red 
spiders are troublesome, moisture and sulphur are the 
only remedies ; syringing the vines at evening, and 
dusting the leaves with flour of sulphur. 

In September, all but the last lateral on the spurs 
should be cut out. 

When the leaves are oif, early in ISTovember, cut back 
the leading cane, leaving four feet only of the new, or 
this year's growth ; this will now make the entire length 
of the cane twelve or thirteen feet ; cut back, close to 
the old wood, the spurs that have fruited this year ; those 
that have not, cut back to one eye, or bud, to bear fruit 
the coming season ; clean and put over the vines the 
soap and sulphur, as before ; and, the first of December, 
lay them down and cover them, as last season. Washing 
the back wall of the grapery withflonr of sulphur, added 
to common lime \vhitewash, will destroy insects, and 
have a tendency to prevent mildev/ in Summer. 

If the spurs are too close together, you can cut out 
those that are not wanted ; they should not be nearer 
together than four inches ; this would make them eight 
inches apart on each side the cane, and closer than they 
are often grown ; if nearer, they would obstruct the 
light. 

Fourth Year. 

The fourth year, follow the same directions for venti- 



128 THE CULTURE OF THE GllAPE. 

lating, giving air, and watering the vines and the 
floor of the house as heretofore. 

After the vines are secured to the trellis, and the shoots 
are one or two inches long, rub out, from the spurs which 
w^ere cut close, all but one shoot ; this you must leave to 
grow for future use ; do not allow it to bear fruit this 
season. 

If the vines are strong, and were not injured by 
overbearing last year, you can now leave on each vine 
fifteen bunches, that will weigh one pound each, to ripen 
this season ; let the bunches be distributed, at proper 
distances, over the vine. The leading cane should not 
be allov/ed to bear fruit until it has become established 
at the length desired for permanent use, when it can be 
fruited as well as the other shoots. Yery strong, healthy 
vines will often show, on this length of cane, sixty to one 
hundred bunches ; and it requires some firmness, in an 
inexperienced person, to cut out in this free manner." 

* Grapes under glass, and in the open air, almost invariably do well the 
first and second year of fruiting. This is undoubtedly to be attributed to 
the fresh soil having, in its constituent parts, all tlie requisite ingredients. 
The cause of their bearing fruit in a diminished degree after this may be, 
that some substance was supplied in a small quantity, and has become 
exhausted, or, it may be that the vine has been too highly excited by 
stimulating manures, given too freely at first, and not continued ; but more 
frequently, I apprehend, by suffering the vine to mature too much fruit. 

Pruning. — " In your leading article, on the subject of the vineries at 
Bishop's Stortford, you concluded by saying, that the vines there were 
pruned on Mr. Crawshay's sj^stem. [This is giving a n^w and improper 
name to an old system ; it has long been in use in France, and is known 
as the close-spur system of pruning, its proper appellation. — Editor.] I' 
presume, from that general allusion, that the system is well understood by 
professional gardeners ; but I rather think it is not as imiversally known 
as it would seem to deserve, if it can be proved to be certain and successful. 
In all treatises I have read on pruning the vine, from Speechly downwards, 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 129 

Prune at the same time, and in the same way as last 
year ; and, at the autumn trimming, leave four feet more 
of the new cane ; this will now be sixteen or seventeen 
feet long, and of sufficient length to bear as large crops 
as the vine should ever bo required to do. In ISTovember, 
clean and 23lace the vines, and protect them from frost, 
as heretofore. 

I have never met with any which has detailed this mode of treatment, or 
recommended its adoption. I have heard it, in conversation, described as 
the ' walking-stick system,' because its principle consists in giving very 
much that appearance to the main stem, which is always preserved. At 
each autumnal pruning, the whole of the new wood is cut off to within an 
eighth of an inch of the old stem. So small, indeed, is the spur left, that 
the growth of the wood of the following year nearly levels it with the 
old wood. At the point of junction of this eighth of an inch with th6 
stem, one or more buds are developed, which, in the succeeding year, 
become the shoots upon which the fruit is produced. The old fasliioned 
grape-grower sees with dismay, in this system, all the buds of the year 
which have grown and ripened under the influence of a summer and 
autunui's sun, annihilated ' at one fell swoop,' and stares, when told that he 
is to trust entirelj', for his crop of next 3^ear, to a bud which he can hardly 
see. Might I ask your contributors, who delight in vine culture, whether 
the success of this plan depends upon the great power working at the 
roots, — the forty barge loads of manure, such as our friend at Bishops 
Stortford supplies to the gluttony of his vines, — and which converts that 
which, in ordinary circumstances, would be at best but a weak wood bud, 
to the production of the finest fruit ? Is this mode of pruning likely to be 
generally successful? There are, undoubtedly, many advantages in it. 
Amongst others, it does seem more consistent with nature, and with all our 
ideas of rendering culture subservient to her laws, to retain the main stem 
of the tree which furnishes the largest capacity for the flow of the sap ; it 
also enables us to keep both fruit and foliage close under the rafters, and 
thereby to secure the greater quantity of light flowing into our houses. 
J. J." — Gardener's Chrordde, 184'7, p. 718. 

At the exhibition of the London Horticultural Society, in November 
1847, grapes of the Black Hamburgh and iluscat of Alexandria varieties, 
from the above vineries, obtained the Knightian medal, and it was said of 
them, that " better specimens could scarcely have been desired." 
6^- 



130 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Fiftli Tear. 

Fifth year, the same general treatnient is to be pur- 
sued ; the leading cane must be stopped at the top of the 
house, leaving two or three of the extreme laterals to 
grow a short time, and stopping them at intervals of 
four or five days, the top one first. 

You may now allow the vines to bear twenty pounds 
of fruit, and, as they grow older and stronger, you can 
increase the weight to twenty-five pounds. I have never 
seen more than this quantity ripened on a vine, in this 
country, (under ordinary circumstances,) without injuring 
the crop the year after. It is true, v/e often hear of 
much larger crops, but my experience will not warrant 
anything of the kind. 

BemarlcaMe Vines. — In England there are two very 
remarkable vines, which are said to produce, yearly, 
over two thousand bunches. One of these, that at 
Hampton Court, I saw in the summer of 1836 ; it 
then was bearing a crop of over two thousand bunches ; 
they were, generally, small, however, and the berries 
were not large ; the man having charge of the house 
said that it did not look as well as usual. In 1846, a 
gentleman who visited it describes the bunches as small, 
but numerous, and looking well ; the roof of the house 
is covered with the vine ; it is trained horizontally, and 
passes, two or three times, the whole length of the roof 
The pruning is on the spur system, but a shoot is laid 
in, wherever wanted to fill a vacant space. 

''• The vine at Hampton Court Palace, which was 
planted in the year 1769, has a stem of thirteen inches 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 131 

ill girth, and a principal branch one linndred and four 
teen feet in length, which, in one year, produced twc 
thousand and two hundred bunches of grapes, each 
weighing, on an average, a pound." — Phillijji's Coinpa- 
nion to the Orchard. 

Of the Hampton Court vine, Speechly says : " "When I 
saw this magniiicent vine in 1788, the crop of grapes was 
moderate, and the bunches, in general, very small. But 
since then, I have, from time to time, been informed oi 
its having often produced most abundant crops, and o:' 
large and well-perfected bunches." 

" Mr. Eden planted a vine of the Black Hamburg! 
sort, at Yalentine House, Essex, in the year 1758, whicl 
is the parent of the vine at Hampton Court, and has ex 
tended itself to upwards of two hundred feet in length 
being so productive that it ripened tv/o thousand bunches 
of grapes in 1819." — Phillip^ s^ etc. 

" At Yalentine, near Ilford, in Essex, (England,) the 
seat of the late Sir Charles Raymond, there is a vine, 
now growing, whose branches extend and furnish th( 
entire roof of a pine stove, which is seventy feet lon^ 
by eighteen feet broad. And, moreover, some of th; 
branches are trained downwards, and also cover a grea 
part of the back wall of the said building. The vine 
which is the Black Hamburgh, w^as planted in the yea 
1758, and growls entirely in the inside of the stove. Th 
girth of the main stem, at two feet from the ground, i 
about thirteen inches." — Speechly. 

"This vine produced annually upwards of three hun 
dred weight of fruit, and, in some seasons, upwards c 
four hundred." — Penny Cyclopaedia. 



132 THE CULITJRE OF THE GRAPE. 

At the entrance to Spae's Garden, Ghent, " is situated 
an uncommonly large vine, the stem, a little above the 
ground, measuring one foot nine inches in circumference. 
We were assured that it is more than a hundred years 
old, and, from its appearance, we could easily believe 
that it may have seen even two centuries." — IIoH. Tour.j 
Edinliirg\ 1823. 

At Antwerp, "our attention was attracted by a very 
large and ancient vine, apparently of the variety called 
the Frankendale, planted in the centre of a front wall of 
a large house, which it now covers. The pavement of 
the street reaches close up to the stem, which is secured 
from being injured by carts, c%c. by means of a wooden 
box. 

" At the height of between two and three feet from 
the ground, a branch had originally been trained, hori- 
zontally to each side, the whole extent of the house, or 
about thirty feet in each direction. From these horizon- 
tal branches, which are now very thick and resemble 
trunks, many upright branches arise, which are trained 
vertically even to the eaves of the roof, or between thirty 
and forty feet high. Yery few bunches of fruit were to 
be discovered, and it was evident that the vine was not 
judiciously pruned." — Hort. Touv.^ (&g. 

Botanic Garden^ Amsterdam. — " In front of the green- 
house grows a large vine, about eighty years old, and 
which spreads over the roof. It is of the Frank enthal 
kind, and by much the largest tree of this variety which 
we have seen, the stem being two feet two inches in cir- 
cumference at three feet from the ground." — Ilort. Toiir.^ 

i&C. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 133 

" In XortLallerton, in Yorkshire, tliere is a vine now 
(1T89) growing, that once covered a space containing one 
hundred and thirtj-seven square yards ; and it is judged 
that, had it been permitted, when in its greatest vigor, 
to extend itself, it might have covered three or four times 
that area. The circumference of the trunk, or stem, a 
little above the surface of the ground, is three feet eleven 
inches. It is supposed to have been planted one hun- 
dred and fifty years, but, from age and injudicious ma- 
nagement, it is now, and has long been in a very declin- 
ing state." — SjjeecJily. 

" In the town of Bridgenorth, Shropshire, there is a 
vine, which has been planted about sixteen years, which 
covers a wall twenty yards wide and sixteen yards high, 
and had on it, in JN'ovember, 1847, from two to three 
hundred and fifty pounds of unripe grapes." — Gard. 
Chronicle^ 1847, p. 731, 

The vine at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Park, is sup- 
posed to be the largest cultivated vine in the world. " In 
1813, it bore a crop of two thousand three hundred and 
fifty bunches, averaging one pound each ; the vine, at 
that time, was one hundred and thirty-eight feet long 
and sixteen feet wide, and covered two thousand two 
hundred and eight superficial feet of wall. It was then 
forty years old." This account of the Cumberland Lodge 
vine I found in some English publication, some years 
since, but did not minute where, as the memorandum 
was made for my use, without reference to publication. 

Chaptal says : " I have found, in the notes I have re- 
ceived upon the age and size of the plant, that the frost 
which injured the vines in the department of Doubs, in 



134 THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 

the autumn of 1739, while the grapes were jet on the 
vines, was of such intensity as to kill a remarkable vine 
of the V/hite Muscat variety. This vine was exposed to 
the south, and protected from the cold winds ; it was in 
the Rue Poiture, at Besan^on. The age of this vine was 
unknown, but the stem was about six feet in thickness, 
the branches extended to about forty-six feet high, and 
spread over a wall more than one hundred and thirty- 
three feet. The death of this remarkable vine caused a 
painful sensation through the whole province." — Chajptal^ 
Traite sur la Culture cle Ui Yigne^ p. 144. 

It is unusual to see a bunch of Black Hamburgh grapes 
weiojhino; more than four pounds. At the exhibition of 
tlie London Horticultural Society, at Chiswick, on the 
9th of July, 1836, there was shown a very fine bunch of 
this variety which weighed eight pounds and six ounces ; 
it is mentioned in Loudon's Magazine as " hitherto un- 
rivalled ;" see vol. 12th, page 444.* 

A simple furnace and flue, to run along the front of 
the house, even when it is not intended to force, is desi- 
rable, as a small fire can then be made in wet w^eather, 
and, after the fruit is ripe, by keeping the air dry, you 
will be able to preserve the grapes sound a great length 
of time. 

The fall pruning of the fourth year will leave the vine 
established at the proper length at which it may ever re- 
main ; the fall trimming the fifth year, and ever after, 
will be the same as that of the fourth, — cutting the lead- 
ing cane back to the dormant eyes. 

* I had the satisfaction of seeing this bunch of grapes; it probably is the 
largest bunch of this kind ever grown. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GIIAPE. 135 

If, after a series of years, the cane sliould become too 
long, it can tiien be cut back to the next spur from the 
top. 



REMARKS ON FORCING THE VINE. 

" The horticulturist, when he steps into this depart- 
ment, aspires to the top and mastership of his art. A 
fall acquaintance with v/hat his predecessors knew, as 
principle, — a vigilant attention to what his contempora- 
ries offer as improvements, with a capacity to estimate 
new practices, — a considerable personal share of intelli- 
gence, experience, and invention, — will not more than 
qualify him for his profession. 

" The term hot-house, and that of forcing-house, are 
not indiscriminately applied to the same description of 
place by practical men in general ; nor is this a distinc- 
tion without a difference. 

" A hot house may be considered as constructed to sus- 
tain plants which are too tender to live in the open air of 
the country in which it is employed. A forcing-house 
may be defined to be an artificial garden for plants which 
will grow in the open air, by its aid to obtain a crop 
sooner than the natural operation of the seasons will ma- 
ture; the former is a substitute for a given hot climate; 
the latter is an anticipation of the local summer. The 
heat of the former is permanent and more uniform, re- 
sembling the steady elevation of temperature which pre- 
vails in the regions nearest the line ; that of the latter 
fluctuates farther from a common medium ; but, whether 



136 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. , 

i 

raised or reduced, it is equally directed to an imitation i 
of nature's course in some climate. The forcing-house, \ 
however, is frequently so assimilated in its construction 
and econom}^ to the hothouse, on account of the culture 
requisite for plants of a mixed nature, that the difference I 
vanishes. But both the separation and the interchange j 
may be accounted for by the nature of any given plant. ■ 
Thus the cherry will ripen its fruit perfectly in the open j 
air; the forcing-house, for the cherry, is far removed ' 
from the hothouse. Few kinds of the grape, however ; 
favored by aspect and shelter, come to maturity under ; 
the influence of our natural summer (the climate of En- ■ 
gland) ; and most of the sorts which are forced would ; 
never ripen under it ; the grape forcing-house and the ■■ 
hothouse are, therefore, convertible things." — Encyclo- \ 
jpcBdia. ^ I 

If it be intended to winter-force, you must not com- | 
mence.the process, the first year, before the first of I 
March ; the second year, you may begin the middle of ; 
February ; the third year, the first of February, and so 
on, fifteen days earlier every year, until you reach the \ 
first of December ; bej^oud this you can hardly go, as i 
this allows only time to prune and clean the vine after itM 
has gone into rest. | 

The first of March is recommended as the best time i 
to commence fire-heat for the main crop of grapes ; this j 
can hardly be considered as forcing ; it is a simple pro- ' 
tection and aid to the natural growth, and as heavy if 
not larger crops can be matured as in a cold house. 

In a house that is forced in December or January, 



Tn.E CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 13? 

every year, ten pounds of grapes are quite as much as 
each vine will perfect, on an average of years. 

Before making the fires, the border must be attended 
to ; if it was covered in the autumn with coarse litter or 
leaves, as directed, it should now have a quantity of fresh 
strawy stable manure added, and well mixed with the 
litter ; cover the whole border to the depth of eighteen 
inches, and protect this from the cold rain and snow with 
boards ; this will effectually prevent the frost from pene- 
trating to the roots. The management of the vine will 
be the same as directed for the cold house ; the pruning, 
thinning, and training must all be done in the same man- 
ner. Forcing, earlier than the first of March, is attend- 
ed with much more risk of failure ; the expense and 
trouble are more, and these are all increased in propor- 
tion as you begin before this time^ and the amount of 
fruit which a vine is able to mature is diminished iu a 
similar ratio. 



DIKECTIONS FOE MANAGING THE FORCING-HOUSE. 

Commence forcing your house with a temperature of 
40° at night, 60° by day ; admit air freely when the sun 
shines ; upon the furnace and the flues, place pans of 
water ; the vines should be kept in a horizontal position 
until they are pushing strong; syringe or wet them re- 
peatedly during the day, and keep the. air of the house 
moist by watering the floor. After ten days, raise the 
temperature to 45° by night, 65° by sunshine ; continue 
to keep the house moist until the vines have all broken 



138 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

well, and have been put up to the trellis, Vv^hen you can 
lessen gradually the watering ; let the pans of water, on 
the furnace and flue, be constantly filled while the grapes 
are growing ; after they begin to color, lessen the num- 
ber of pans of water gradually, ajid the moisture of the 
house, and ripen off the fruit in a dry atmosphere. 

Vines do not appear to be seriously injured by bleed- 
ing, however severe this may be. The only effect from 
it, which I have been able to discover, is a tendency to 
retard the pushing of the buds, and, on long canes or 
spurs, the causing of the last eye to be blind. It cannot 
be of any advantage to the vine, that is certain, and it 
should be guarded against by early pruning. 

In the Gardeners' Chronicle for 1846, page Y71, there 
IS an account of vines which had been winter-forced, and 
which had ripened g. crop of fruit ; as it was intended to 
remove the vines, the causing them to bear a second 
croj) was attempted ; to effect this, the vines were severe- 
ly pruned the first of May ; the}^ bled excessively ; not- 
withstanding this, the buds broke well, and ripened the 
fruit in October. The wood, also, was well ripened, 
round, and firm, with full eyes, and, so well did it ap- 
pear, that the idea of throwing away the vines was 
abandoned. They had previously been troublesome from 
over-luxuriance. 

In ten days more, raise the temperature to 50° or 55° 
at night, and by day, when cloudy, to 65°, or, when the 
sun shines, to 75°. This temperature should be gradual- 
ly raised at night until the grapes are in bloom, when 
the heat should be as equal as possible, 70° at night, 75'^' 
or 80° by day, when the sun shines. Do not let the 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 139 

temperature of the Louse, by artificial means, rise above 
70° in this stage of forcing. 

In May and June, we often have some verj hot (lavs, 
with a bright sun and dry air, the temperature in the 
open air 80° or 90°, and even higher ; in such v;eather, 
you cannot prevent the heat of the house rising to over 
100° ; if the air should be very dry, it would burn the 
leaves, and injure them more to have all the lights and 
doors tljrown wide open, than a greater degree of heat 
with proportionate moisture would do. 

The shrivel in grapes is caused, frequently, by too 
large a crop ; sometimes by too much moisture at the 
roots, and often by a sudden change of air, or too low a 
temperature ; the best preventive for the tvro latter 
troubles is a constant free circulation of warm air.* 

In the management of your house, aim to imitate na- 
ture, by a regukir increase of heat, as in spring. 

Early in October, you may cut back the spurs to two 
eyes, if you think the wood is not ripening well ; be 
careful and do not cut, or otherwise injure, the remain- 
ing eyes, or their leaves ; this will admit more sun to the 
house, and promote a free circulation of air, and 
strengthen the eyes retained. 

In winter, the mercury, in the open air, frequently 
falls to zero, and sometimes six and ten degrees below, 
with a high wind blowing at the same time. 

In January, February, and the early part of March, 
for weeks together, it will be found, during the night, 
ranging from ten above, down to, zero. In such a cli- 
mate, a jDowerful and steady heat is necessary. 
* See Remarks on Shrivel. 



140 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

The boiler and pipe to circulate hot water aroimcl the 
house, on the le-vel principle, together with the furnace 
and flue, are recommended as the best and safest heating 
apparatus. A furnace and flue will not heat more than 
twentj-five feet of a grapery that is forced in the winter 
months, and, for any additional length of the house, 
other furnaces must be added, in the like proportion, or 
the hot water apparatus substituted.* 

The following is a memorandum of the regulation of 
the heat, with the dates on which the different operations 
were performed, in a house forced in the winter. 

JSTovember. — The vines were pruned ; every alternate 
spur was cut at one eye to fruit ; the others were cut 
close, as there were moi-e spurs than the strength of the 
vine would admit of fruiting: the comino; season. 

"When the vines were not of sufficient length for the 
rafters, we retained as much of the new cane as was re- 
quired, or as the strength of the vine would allow. 

The loose bark was rubbed off, and the vines painted 
over with the composition of soap and sulphur. 

The border was covered with litter. 

The first of December, the vines v/ere placed in a 
horizontal position, near the front of the house, and cov- 
ered with Eussia mats ; those on the back of the house 
-were laid down and covered in the same manner. From 
this date it is not unusual for the cold to be occasionally 
severe, the mercury falling to near zero ; when this isthe 
case, suJBficient fires must be made to keep a temperature 
of 28° to 32° by niglit. 

* The Polmaiso Sj'stem, and the manner of buildmg the furnace, are 
described under the head of Furnaces, &c. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 141 

December 20tb. — The fires were made, and forcing 
commenced ; the temperature of the house was kept at 
40° at night, C0° by day ; fresh stable manure was put 
on the border, and well mixed with the litter already 
there ; the vines, and the floor of the house, were repeat- 
edly watered, and pans of water placed on the furnace 
and flues ; this temperature was kept up, and the water- 
ing continued, until — 

January 1st, 184T, — w^hen the temperature was raised 
to 45° at night, 65° by day, and air freely admitted, 
when the sun shone ; wetting the house and vines con- 
tinued. 

January 5th. — The temperature was raised, at night, to 
50°; by day, if cloudy, to 65°; when the sun shone, to 
70°, with plenty of air admitted, and the pans of water 
daily replenished. This heat was continued to — 

January 10th, — when at night, the temperature ^vas 
kept at 50° to 55° ; by day, if cloudy, 65° ; when the sun 
shone, 75°, with air ; the top windows were let down, 
every other light, three or four inches in the morning, 
and, as the heat increased, more air was gradually ad- 
mitted. 

When the house became quite warm with sun heat, 
the front lights were opened a little. The sun has so lit- 
tle force at this season, and the days are so short, that I 
have found it unnecessary to open the front lights, and 
do not advise it being done before March, and then only 
to a small extent ; the top lights being sufficient for ven- 
tilation. In very cold days, and with a bright sun shin- 
ing, the windows were not opened more than four inches ; 
watered the house freely in mild weatlier, giving less in 



142 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

very cold ; the pans of water v/ere kept full. This treat- 
ment was continned to — 

January 20th, — when the temperature, in cloudy 
weather, was raised to 70° by day ; during the night, 
and on sunshiny days, the same as from the tenth in- 
stant ; and this was continued to February. 

The vines, near the furnace, were all pushing, both 
sets at the same time, those planted on the outside of the 
house, and those on the inside. The mercury, in the 
open air, last night, was at zero ; in the house, at 9, 
P.M., it was 55° ; at 7, A.M., 48°, with as large fires as 
the furnace would allow. 

January 25th. — Nine of the vines, which were nearest 
to the furnace, were tied to the rods. 

January 27t]]. — Pat up sixteen more. 

February 1st. — The temperature, at night, was kept at 
55° to 65° ; by day, and when cloudy, 70° to 75° ; by 
sunshine, 75° to 85°, giving air as above ; and this tem- 
perature was continued until the blossom was over ; the 
remaining vines, on the front of the house, were taken 
up and secured to the rods. 

February 2d. — The vines, on the back of the house, 
were tied to the trellis ; some of the shoots, on the vines 
near the furnace, were two feet, and some three feet 
long ; they were cut back to one eye beyond the fruit. 

February 10th. — Rubbed out all but one shoot on each 
spur, where it had not been done before ;^ the spurs 
which vrere cut close have generally pushed, from dor- 

* This can be done as soon as the shoots are one inch long, shortly after 
the canes arc put up. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 143 

mant eves at their base, from two to six shoots, and most 
of the shoots had fruit bunches.'-'' 

February 15th. — First blossoms oi3ened to-day on three 
of the vines ; shortened back, and tied out to the rods, 
the side shoots on several vines. 

February 21st. — Blossoms have opened on the eight 
vines nearest the furnace, and, on the two first, the berries 
are swelling off; continued to stop, and to tie up, and to 
thin out, any of the shoots that are not wanted. 

March 1st. — The temperature, at night, was kept at 
60° to Y0° ; by day, when cloudy, 70° to Y5° ; by sun- 
shine, 80° to 90° ; as much air admitted as could be, 
W'ith safety, allow^ed ; began to thin some» bunches on 
three vines ; ten vines w^ere in blossom on the front, and 
four on the back of the house. 

March 10th. — More than half the vines were in blos- 
som, and the grapes thinned on eight vines; the laterals 
on the spurs were cut back to one eye, and this check was 
repeated as they required it. I advise the cutting out of 
the laterals, situated between the fruit and the main stem, 
allowing those only to grow that are beyond the bunch, 
and these should be stopped at one eye every ten or four- 
teen days, as they may grow with more or less vigor 
during the season. 

March 15th. — Temperature the same as from the first 
of the month ; have been thinning the grapes the past 
fortnight ; they are now finished, for the first time, and 
the earliest vines have been thinned two or three times. f 

* The tendrils should be cut smoothly out when they first appear. 
\ The shoulders of very large bunches (the Syrian) always require to be 
spread out and supported by strings, to permit a free circulation of air. 



IM- THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

April 1st. — Temperature the same as in Marcli ; from 
day to day liave been examining and thinning the berries, 
v/hen it was found necessary. 

April 10th. — The first grapes began to color, near the 
furnace, this day. Temperature as above. 

April 20th.— The Zinfindal, Early Black July, and 
Grizzly Frontignan coloring ; the Pitmaston White Clus- 
ter nearly ripe, and the Chasselas Bar Sur Aube chang- 
ing color. 

May 1st. — The temperature, at night, 70° ; by da}^, if 
cloudy, 75° to 80° ; by sunshine, 85° to 95°, with air 
freely admitted. The first Black Hamburgh grapes begin 
to color ; the pans of water were removed from the fur- 
nace and from the flue, where the grapes have colored, 
or are nearly ripe ; the bunches vv^ere examined, and all 
defective berries cut out ; all thinning, for the season, 
was now finished. 

May 10th. — The grapes were ripe on the first five vines ; 
part of the fruit, from Chasselas Bar Sur Aube, Zinfindal, 
Early Black July, Pitmaston White Cluster, and Grizzly 
Frontignan, has been gathered ; more of the pans of 
water were removed from the flue. 

May 20th. — Cut Black Hamburgh grapes fully ripe ; 
the grapes were all ripening in every part of the house, 
and have colored well ; all the pans of water are now 
removed, and the house kept as dry as possible. 

June 1st. — The v;eather now beins; warm, the making 
of fires was omitted, excepting in wet weather, when 
small fires were made in the daytime, and the house was 
opened for ventilation. 

June 10th. — Half the crop was fully ripe, and the re- 



THE CUL-rUEE OF THE GRAPE. 145 

Bidne colored. After the grapes were all cut, tlie sashes 
were kept open night and day, and they should be con- 
tinued so nntil cool weather, when it will be best to close 
the sashes and doors at night, to exclude hard frosts. 

In July, there is every probability that the red spider 
may appear on the vines of a house that has been winter- 
forced ; to destroy them, syringe the vines in the after- 
noon frequently, and dust sulphur all over them ; if this 
does not kill them, wet the flues and the floor of the 
house thoroughly, and dust both of them well with the 
sulphur ; make a fire in the furnace to cause the sulphur 
to send out strong fumes ; you may melt it, but by no 
means allow it to burn ; shut up the house close, and 
give it a good steaming ; open it ^arly in the morning ; 
this should be done in the afternoon, before the sun has 
ceased to shine upon the house. 



GRAPES IN POTS. 

Grapes may be grown successfully in pots, proper at- 
tention being paid to watering them ; doing this judi- 
ciously is the most difficult part of the process, as they 
require an ample supply of moisture, and water in ex- 
cess will cause the spongioles, around the sides of the 
pot, to decay, and, if this happens, the crop of fruit will 
fail. The soil should be rich ; sods well rotted, leaf 
mould, and old cow-manure, with a small quantity of 
fine charcoal and lime rubbish, will form an excellent 
compost for this purpose. Air-slacked lime, or leached 
ashes, can be used instead of the rubbish, if more con- 



146 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

venient. These materials sLould be mixed together a 
few weeks before using, and in these proportions : sods, 
three parts ; leaf mould, two parts ; cow-dung, two 
parts ; rubbish, or leached ashes and charcxDal, one part. 
There should be one or two inches of broken pots, stones, 
or shells, at the bottom, for drainage. A vine in a 
twelve-inch pot may mature from five to ten bunches. 
I prefer a wooden box, or the half of a large keg, as the 
soil is less liable to dry and form into a lump ; when this 
is the case, the water is very apt to run away by the 
sides of the pot, between these and the soil, leaving the 
middle of the soil perfectly dry. In the autumn, after a 
vine has fruited, it should be taken out of the pot and 
the soil shaken from the roots ; with a sha^p knife, prune 
back the longest of these, and repot in fresh compost. 
During the winter, they must be kept from the frost, and 
tbe only care necessary will be to see that the soil has 
just enough moisture to prevent the roots from drying 
up. The next summer they must not be fruited, but 
proper care must be bestowed upon them that they may 
produce good bearing wood for the year after. 

Yines grown by single eyes, or such as would be used 
for the border, are suitable for planting in pots. You 
may force these vines to advantage as early as K'oveni- 
ber, if you have a proper temperature. 

Liquid manure may be given when the grapes com- 
mence swelling off. This may be made as detailed in 
the experiments on the roots of the vine in bottles, and 
any of those may be selected for use, as is most conve- 
nient, or as may be thought best. If guano is used, four 
pounds to thirty-three gallons of water is quite strong 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 147 

enough. A writer in tlie Gardener's Chronicle sajs, four 
jDouncls to tv/elve gallons ; another, one pound to one 
gallon. 

You may train and prune the vines by any of the 
plans given for the house. 



EETAEDING HOUSE. 

The retarding house should be built upon the same 
plan as the forcing house; it is not necessary that it 
should be so wide, or so high on the back. [This was 
written for the first and second editions of this v/ork; 
the remarks following are now added.] Experience 
convinces me that fine grapes may be grown in a house 
of quite sm.all dimensions, yet as a general thing, the 
largest structures will be more certain to yield the finest 
fruit. For the retarding house in partidular this remark 
should have weight. This building should be above the 
sills, 16 feet high on the back wall ; 5 feet on the front, 
2 J feet to be solid next the sill, 2| glass ; windows should 
be huno' so as to air the house. The width from the 
front to the back sill should be from 10 to 12 feet. These 
dimensions will give a steep roof, shedding the rain and 
moisture readily, and admitting the full strength of the 
sun's rays on -to the vines when most v\\^nted, in October, 
November, and December. 

The pruning and training of the vine may be the same 
as in the cold house ; remembering always, that the closer 
the pruning, the sooner the bud will burst' in spring, and 
consequently ripen its fruit ; the reverse is the case with 



148 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

long spur or cane trimming ; the Iv.tter is consequently 
to be pursued to the greatest extent, whicli the future 
weliare of the vines will admit of. The thinning of the 
berries will be performed later than in any otlier house, 
and care should be had that it is thoroughly done, and 
more severely than in any other way of growing them. 

Early in March, the sun must be excluded from the 
house ; this can be done by spreading sails, or mats, over 
the glass ; the doors and lights must be open day and 
night, when the temperature is above freezing. 

In May, when the vines push their buds, the covering 
must be removed from the glass ; keep the temperature 
as low as possible, night and da}^, during the summer; 
the end of May, or early in June, the vines should be 
put to the rods, or trellis. 

Early in Jul}^, the grapes will be in blossom ; apply 
the sulphur now to the floor of the house, and observe 
the vines carefuHy during this and the next month ; if 
the mildew appear on the wood, fruit, or foliage, shut the 
house at night, and apply more sulphur. ISTever allow it 
to remain on the fruit; if, by accident, any should get 
on, brush it off immediately, — opening the house by day, 
as in any grapery. Early in August, the grapes will re- 
quire to be thinned. 

In October, when thQ nights become cool, close the 
doors and windows, {wTiere it has not heeiv done heforc 
on account of mildew^ giving as much air, and keeping 
as low a temperature, {when the sun shines,) by day, as 
possible. 

In I^ovember, small fires must be made and kept up 
in the night-time, and in cloudy weather. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 149 

In tlie retarding house, where 3^011 cannot prune the 
vines early, and tiie ck)se-spur system is pursued, it is 
best to disbud them ; to do this, a sharp knife is 
necessary, cutting out every eye but the lower one oli the 
spur, being careful not to destroy the leaf; this will 
throw all the strength of the shoot into the eye which is 
to produce the fruit the coming season.. Care must be 
had not to perform this too early in the autumn; 
November, probably, is the best time ; if done before the 
vine is nearly at rest, there might be danger of breaking 
the eye. 

The fruit will be ripe the last of November and in 
December; after which, the house must be kept as dry 
as possible, having sufficient fires to keep out the frost. 

After the fruit and foliage are oif, prune the vines, and 
protect them from the frost. 

[For an extended List of Yines, see page 297.] 

PKOPAGATING NEW KINDS FSOM SEED. 

If the trial to produce new sorts be persevered with 
in all sections of this country, unquestionably, varieties 
wdll be produced that will be hardy, and, at the same 
time, free from the hard pulp and foxy flavor, that 
render the American sorts, in the opinion of most peo- 
ple, inferior to the European. 

The Isabella, and generally the kinds that withstand 
our climate in Massachusetts, blossom fourteen days 
earlier than the Chasselas, or Early Black July. The 
Muscat of Alexandria is a few days later still in flower- 
ing. To remedy this difficulty, and to obtain the differ-^ 



150 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

ent kinds in flower at tlie same time, resort must be had 
to retarding the former b}^ some process of shading or of 
promoting the flowering of the European sorts by pro- 
tecting them with glass, or some other covering, or the 
farina may be saved in a tin box, or glass bottle, from 
the grapery until the vines are in bloom. I have an 
Isabella in the grapery growing principally for the pur- 
pose of impregnation, and I may, one of these days, pro- 
duce something new from it. This difference of the 
flowering calls in question the accounts of seedlings liav- 
ing been the result of a natural cross between our native 
sorts and foreign ones; under usual circumstances, it 
could not have taken ]:)lace. 

" Mr. Yan Mons added a renmrk which we do not re- 
collect to have met with in hoi'ticultural writings, that, 
by sowing the seeds of new varieties of fruits, vre may 
ex])ect with much greater probability to obtain other 
new kinds of good quality, than by employing the seeds 
of the best old established sorts." — Ilort. Tour.^ JEdin- 
luTfjli, 1823. 

The Yan Mons theory is, that, when the seed of a 
new variety of fruit has been planted, there is less lia- 
bility to return to the wild state, than when the seed of 
an old variety has been used, and he advises the sowing 
the first seeds of the newest varieties of fruits, as the 
surest method of producing kinds more and more ex- 
cellent. ' 

Seeds matured by the most healthy and vigorous plants 
are presumed to be the best for planting, to obtain new 
kinds. The applying the pollen, or farina, of one va- 
riety to the pistil, or stigma, of another, is the surer me- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 151 

tliod of proceeding to obtain new sorts in the shortest S 
time ; and this is called hybridizing. j 




^ 



FLOWER OF THE GRAPE.* 



To do this properly, the bunch to be acted on should 
be thinned of three quarters of the buds ; the lower part 
should be cut away entirely (immediately before inflor- 
escence) ; the strongest buds alvrays to be left. 

Observe them closely, and, as soon as the flowers open, 
with sharp scissors clip the antliers^ being careful not to 
injure the pistil ; with a soft brush, apply the pollen 
from the kind to be used in impregnation, or, the whole 
bunch which is to furnish the pollen may be cut from 
the vine, and gently rubbed or applied to the bunch, by 

•'■• The left hand figure is a magnified representation of the bud of the 
grape; the middle one is the blossom. The change from the bud to the 
blossom is usually rapid, and takes place about 30 to 40 days after the 
shoot appears in the spring which bears the fruit. This bud which forms 
the blossom consists of a covering, or cap, and the embryo berry with five 
anthers, which, when 'the time for inflorescence has come, is raised, or 
lifted, by the anthers, and. the wind blows this cap free. 

The third is the blossom, or embryo grape, with the anthers clipped and 
deprived of their farina ; on the top of the embryo is the pistil ; upon this 
is to be placed the farina, or pollen, of the male plant ; when this is done, 
impregnation takes place, and the embryo rapidly swells off. If the oper- 
ation has not been effectual, the 'berry will remain as it is. When the 
grape has attained one third or one half of its size, it remains stationary 
two or throe weeks, and, at this time, it is perfecting the seed. When this 
is done, the fruit begins growing again ; thus it appears the seed will vege- 
tate, even if the fruit does not ripen sufficiently to be eatable. 



152 THE CULTUKS OF THE GEAFS. 

frequently striking tbem together on e\'er3^ side. This 
should be repeated several days, until it is evident the 
fruit is all impregnated ; a fresh bunch, with the pollen in 
a suitable condition, must be had at each operation. The 
pollen must be dry, and in a -falling condition, to be fit for 
the purpose. If your vines are so situated that a branch to 
be acted upon can be brought into contact with the 
branch of another kind, and the bunches interlaced, this 
will be a good method of proceeding, — cutting av^ray tlie 
male part of the blossom from the kind that is to ripen 
the seed for the new kinds. 

To obtain hardy grapes, in new varieties, I should re- 
commend the Catawba, or the Isabella, to be impregnated 
with the Frontignan, the Black July, the Golden Chas- 
selas, the Pitmaston White Cluster, the Black Ham- 
burgh, and Esperione ; a hybrid from any of these would 
probabl}^ be a grape ripening in less time than the first two. 

To obtain varieties for the glass-house : the Muscat of 
Alexandria to be impregnated with any of the kinds 
that ripen their fruit in a shorter time. A hybrid from 
any of these would probably have the musk flavor, in 
some degree ; if the object be to avoid this, some two of 
the kinds free from this flavor must be selected. The 
Esperione and Black Hamburghs, being always good 
setters, are the best for the male plants. The Golden 
Chasselas, a very beautiful fruit, but often setting poorly, 
would make a suitable kind to be acted upon. The 
August Muscat, being very early, could be used as a 
female also. This variety might be used with the 
American sorts, with a j^rospect of producing a -plant 
that would be both hardy and speedy in ripening the 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 153 

fruit. The Scnppernong, bearing fruit only a few berries 
in a bunch, is objected to as a parent for a new sort for 
the greenhouse on that account. 

If Mr. Yan Mons's system of producing new kinds by 
seeds from wildlings be attempted, it would be best to 
try seed from all kinds, the very small, as well as the 
good-sized berries. 

Insects. — In Massachusetts, there are but few insects 
that feed upon the grape leaf. The rose bugs, the past 
year or two, have been troublesome, and, in some sec- 
tions of the United States, they are very much so ; being 
sometimes so numerous as to eat, in a few days, every 
cluster of fruit buds, or of blossoms, upon the vine. 
The most effectual method of destroying them is by 
hand ; covering them (when wet with dew in the morn- 
ing,) with wood ashes, or lime is said to answer, repeat- 
ing the application two ov three times. Spreading a 
cloth over the vine, and filling the space around under 
this with tobacco smoke, will cause them to fall,- when 
they can be destroyed by pouring suds made from whale- 
oil soap upon them. When the grape is grown on a 
small scale, and the I'ose bugs destroy the blossom, cover- 
ing the bunch with a gauze bag will be found effectual in^ 
staying their ravages. 

The large green worm (commonly called the potato 
w^orm,) is, in some localities, very injurious later in the 
season ; when in large numbers, it is such a voracious 
creature it will soon eat all the foliage of a vine. When 
it is known to be at work, which will be by the leaves 
being rapidly eaten, all but the stems, it must be sought 
for and destroyed. It will be frand, commonly, on. the 



154 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

under part of the leaf next to tlie one last eaten ; it is 
usually of the same color as the leaf, and, unless you 
observe carefully, it will escape you. 

The thrips, small white insects that infest the under 
side of the leaves, are not so injurious as would seem by 
the spotted appearance of the leaf. Sjnoking, or syring- 
ing with tobacco- water, will destroy them; they injure 
the looks of the vine, giving the foliage a/liseased ap- 
pearance. "Wide-mouthed bottles Imng amongst the 
branches, (one every two square feet,) and filled with 
sweetened w^ater, will collect and destroy large quantities 
of moths, and other insects. These will require to be 
emptied every few days, or the dead insects on the sur- 
face removed. 

In the grapery, the two years past, the common red 
caterpillar has been exceedingly annoying. The white 
moth lays its eggs on the under part of the leaf, and the 
first notice you have of the young is when you discover 
small spots eaten in the leaf; on examination, ^'^ou will 
now find the young caterpillar, one fourth of an inch in 
length, spread over the leaves*, you must destroy all you 
can find at once, and, every day, examine the vine anew; 
notwithstanding all this care, some of them will pro- 
bably escape yon, and grow to a good size. If these are 
very numerous, and are on more than one or two vines, 
it W'ill be best to fumigate the grapery with tobacco 
leaves, or stems. This will be necessary, if thrips, or the 
aphis, or green fly appear in the house. In smoking, care 
must be had that the foliage is not injured by the heat 
from the tobacco ; this should be moist, so that it cannot 
burn with a blaze ; embers and ashes should be placed 



ar """"l'''«^' 




'"""iiiiiii 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 155 

npon it, and the tobacco allowed to smoulder, causing 
smoke and not heat. 



CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR, 

The mildew at the north, and the rot at the south, ren- 
der the cnitivation of foreign varieties of the grape, in 
the open air, in this country, almost useless. The diffi- 
culty is not with the season ; this is long enough to ripen 
many kinds, were it not for the above trouble. I have 
seen, in my garden, the Early Black July perfectly color- 
ed the first of September ; but the leaf was so injured by 
mildew that the grapes did not sweeten, or obtain any 
flavor.* 

In some of our cities, they occasionally ripen very 
well. If it is desired to make the attempt, the border 
should be made v>^ith care, in the same v/ay as directed 
for house culture ; they may be trained by any of the 
systems described ; prune them, and thin the berries in 
the same manner as if in the house. 

The Pitmaston White Cluster, Early Black July, Gold- 
en Chasselas, and Esperione are recommended as the 
best for cultivation in the vicinity of Boston ; further 
south, the Black Hamburgh and Frontignans may be 
added to the list ; and south of 40° north latitude, the 

* Application, to the foliage of the vine, of sulphur, in a free manner, is 
the only effectual remedy of which I can speak practically ; other remedies 
have been recommended, sucli as hme, ashes, etc., to the soil. Apply the 
sulphur early in the morning when the leaves are wet, and renew it as 
often as the rain waslies it away. 



156 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Muscat of Alexandria and otlier late sorts may be tried. 
The August Muscat is the earliest of any grape, and can 
be tried, as it may be worthy of cultivation v/hcn the 
vine becomes strong. 

In November, the vines must be laid down and well 
covered with straw, or litter, to protect them from the 
frost, when cultivated in the northern states. 

In Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture, vol. 12th, is a 
communication by Mr. J. W. Russel, gardener to Horace 
Gray, Esq., on the cultivation of the grape, in which he 
gives the following receipt to prevent mildew. Having 
found the application of sulphur to the floor of the house 
all that was necessary in cultivating the grape under 
glass, I have never used this preparation, but, for their 
cultivation in the open air, I would strongly advise its 
trial ; it should be applied in July, or earlier, if there is 
any appearance of mildew on the fruit, wood or foliage. 

Receipt. — "To one peck of quick lime, add half a 
pound of sulphur ; put them into a tight barrel, and 
pour boiling hot v/ater over them sufficient to slake all 
the lime, and it will be found that the sulphur is mixed 
with it in the best possible manner ; then pour on to the 
top of it three gallons of soft water, and stir it well to- 
gether, leaving it to settle ; in about twenty-four liours, 
the water on the top will be perfectly clear. 

"This should be taken off as clear as possible, and put 
into a stone jar^ there to rem.ain until wanted. Half a 
pint of this mixture will be sufficient for three gallons of 
water. 

" This wash will not injure either the fruit or leaves, 
and no person could tell that any thing but clean water 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 157 

had been used, only that it leaves a stain on white paint, 
which will wear off in a little time. This is a sure reme- 
dy for the mildew, and, therefore, worth knowing to 
every grape cultivator."^ 

The Isabella, a native grape, succeeds better in the 
open air than any other variety in this vicinity ; the 
border should be well made, and in a dry situation ; the 
training must be different from that of the foreign kinds; 
it will not bear the severe pruning which is necessary for 
them ; the summer shoots should be tied to the trellis ; 
leading up or out, in different directions, shoots to be 
partially retained, at the winter pruning, for the exten- 
sion of the vine. In August or September, cut back the 
ends of all the shoots made this year to check the growth, 
and let the sun and air have access to the vine. Winter- 
prune, in February, on the spur system, leaving addition 
to the extreme shoots of about two feet of the new wood, 
and when this cane grows too long for the trellis, cut it 
back, at the winter pruning, to any length desirable, and 
lead up a new shoot the coming season to take its place. 

The quantity of fruit that a vine of this variety will 
ripen, when it has arrived at maturity, under proper 
management, and is favorably situated, is remarkably 
large ; two bunches on a spur may be allowed to ripen ; 
the berries do not require the thinning that foreign ones 
do ; the small ones only should be cut out. 

When gathered in perfectly dry weather, and put 

* Prince's Treatise on the Grape contains this receipt, and it is there 
stated, that the apphcation of it, in the garden of Capt. Smith, of Newport, 
R I., to the Chasselas grape, was attended with success. The material 
part left, after drawing the clear hqnid off, may be used for washing the 
wall, or trellis, upon which the vme is trained* 



158 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

away in a cool place, just above the freezing point, and 
packed in layers of cotton, they will often keep good un- 
til March. Before packing, each bunch should be ex- 
amined, and any defective berry cut out. 

The Catawba will not ripen as far north as Boston. 

Pond's Seedling is one of the best native varieties ; 
the fruit, liowever, is but seldom seen, and it is therefore 
presumed to be a shy bearer. 

Bland's Virginian will not ripen at the north. 

Elsinburgh is too small to be worthy of cultivation 

The Ohio grape is tender, and, at the north, requires 
the same protection as foreign kinds ; the bunches are 
large and long, but the berries very small. 

The vineyard cultivation of the native varieties of the 
grape, in the United States, is attracting more attention 
3^early. On the banlv$ of the Ohio River, the planting 
is increasing rapidly, and on the hills near Heading, Pa., 
are vineyards for the purpose of making wine. 

The first attempt to grow the vine in our western coun- 
try, to any extent, for the purpose of making wine, is 
generally credited to a party of Sv/iss, who commenced 
their operations at Yevay, on the Ohio Kiver. Accord- 
ing to Mr. Longworth, it has not been successful. This 
gentleman is interested in this culture, and by statem^ents 
of his in Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America, 
he had, in 184:5, seventy acres planted with vines, and 
divided into fourteen vineyards, under the management 
of Germans and Swiss. Mr. Longworth recommends 
the Catawba as the best variety for the west.* The Eu- 

* I am informed by the vineyard growers of the grape on the banks of 
the Ohio, that the Catawba is now regarded as the best wine grape. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 159 

ropean Idnds Lave not succeeded with him. The fcllow- 
iiig are his remarks : "The grape requires a good soil, 
and is benefited by well-rotted manure. For aspect, I 
prefer the sides of hills, but our native grapes would not 
succeed well in a dry sandy soil, particularly the Cataw- 
ba. The north sides of our hills are the richest, and I 
believe they will, as our summers are warm, in the ma- 
jority of seasons, produce the best crops. 

"Deep ploughing is the better preparation of the 
land for the vines. Where a hill is steep, trenching and 
walling, or sod-terracing, is necessary. 

"We generally leave six feet between the rows, and 
use the plough, setting the plants three to four feet apart, 
and training them to stakes about six feet high." — 
Downing' s Fruits and Fruit Trees^ page 251. 

It has been considered of sufficient importance to giv^e 
tlje views of European cultivators and others, at length, 
upon the vineyard systems of culture pursued there. 
The American kinds of the grape, requiring a different 
plan of pruning, will render many of the practices, par- 
ticularly the close pruning (in summer,) and planting of 
the vines,~ impracticable here ; still, the remarks on ma- 
nures and soil, and details of some of the plans of train- 
ing, will be worthy of notice by American grape grow- 
ers. 

First comes the exposition. It is the established opin- 
ion, in vineyard culture, that the best fruit is produced 
where the vine receives the most sun, not upon the fruit, 
but upon the foliage. Prince says, " Theibaut de Ber- 
neaud remarks, that an eastern aspect would be prefera- 
ble to all others, if it did not expose the plants, during 



160 THD CFLTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

the first warm days of spring, to be blasted by the burn- 
ing rays of the siin operathig upon the small icicles, each 
of which acts as a lens. A southern ex|)0sure (he con- 
tinues,) is generally too hot in a warm climate, and a 
western one is least to be desired, as the plant there re- 
ceives a direct heat after the early hours of the day have 
abstracted the moisture, and, therefore, dries and burns 
it ; and he recommends, as a general rule, that, in south- 
ern regions, an eastern aspect should have the preference, 
and, in northern ones, that a southern exposure should be 
selected." — Princess Treatise^ P^g^ ^^' 

Yet there are exceptions to these rules. Yineyards 
with northern exposures have become celebrated, proba- 
bly owing to favorable circumstances of soil. In the 
southern part of the United States, it will be best to try 
every situation, as the retarding of vegetation a short 
time might be the means of saving the fruit, either from 
being destroyed by a late frost, or from excessive rains, 
at the time of inflorescence, or from rot, caused by too 
much wet, at a later period. 

The plan pursued by American horticulturists in vine- 
yard and garden culture, in some instances in their own 
language, is described, and as it appears settled from 
these accounts that our native grapes (different varieties 
succeeding in various sections of the country,) answer 
every purpose of vineyard culture, there does not appear 
to be any occasion to try any others, excepting on a small 
scale for the dessert. 

Mr. Hoare says, "In the choice of a good aspect, 
therefore, shelter from high winds, and those aspects 
that are the least exposed to their effects, and that receive 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 161 

a full porcion of the solar rays, may be deemed the best. 
The best aspects in the southern parts of England are 
those tliat range from the eastern to the southeastern, the 
last of which may be considered the very best. The 
next best are those which follow in succession from south- 
east to south. An aspect due south is undoubtedly a 
very good one, but its exposure to those strong winds 
which frequently blow from the southwest forms a great 
drawback. The remaining aspects are those which range 
successively from due south to due west. These are all 
good ones provided they are sheltered, or partially so, 
from the destructive effects of the high winds above men- 
tioned. E"orth of the w^estern point, the maturation of 
the wood and fruit of the vine becomes uncertain. East 
by north is a very good one. ISTorth of this point, the 
solar rays are not sufiiciently powerful to mature either 
the wood or fruit." — Treatise on the Grajje^ hj Clement 
Iloare. 1837. 

Chaptal says, " That the middle of a hill side pro- 
duces the best wine, the upper part the second best, and 
the bottom of the hill the most inferior ;" showing, appa- 
rently, that the middle location contains the esseutial 
nourishment required, that, in the upper part, there is a 
lack of this, and at the foot of the hill there is either 
too much of it, or too much moisture. 

Monsieur de la Quintiney says of the Muscat grapes, 
that they " require a temperate country and the exposi- 
tions of the south and east, and always a light ground ; 
we seldom see any good in pure earth, and, if it be in 
hot climates, in gravelly and sandy grounds." Pago 
229. 



162 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

The Penny Cjclopssclia says of the aspect : *' On the 
steep slopes of hills towards the south, and sheltered 
from the northeast, the grapes attain the greatest matu- 
rity, and the vintage is most certain. So great an influ- 
ence has a favorable exposure, that in the same vineyard 
the greatest difference exists between the wine made 
from one part and that made from another, merely be- 
cause there is a turn round the hill, and the aspect varies 
a very few degrees. A change of soil produces a similar 
effect. The f\\mous Ehine wine, called Johannisbergh, 
when made from the grapes which grow near the castle, 
is worth twice as much as that made a few hundred 
yards farther off. Here both soil and aspect change. 
The Glos de Voiigeau, which produces the finest Bur- 
gundy, is confined to a few acres ; beyond a certain wall, 
the wine is a common Burgundy, good, but without ex- 
traordinary merit." 

At Bourdeaux, a southeast exposure is preferred, and 
in Germany, generally, a southwest ; in some places, a 
northern exposure is thought best, as the danger from 
late frosts is less. 

Chaptal is considered as the best French authority on 
the vine. His object, in his Treatise on the Grape, was 
to promote the improvement of the quality of the wine, 
and to discourage the use of manures, as one of the 
main causes of this inferiority. The practical ideas of 
this treatise are mostly attributed to the Abbe Hosier, of 
whom it is said, "that, retiring to the home of his 
fathers, he, for a long time, practised agriculture, not 
only studying all previous systems of vine culture, but 
comparing the old with his experience, the local practices 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 163 

witli the huvs of natural pliilosophy, to brino; the culture 
of the vine to its liighest state of perfection was his par- 
ticular object." In the introduction, he asks, '^ AVhy is 
it, that so large a number of the wines of France, for- 
merly celebrated, are now fallen into discredit ? Wh}^, 
these wines should be of so ordinary a quality, whilst 
those of another district have acquired and preserved a 
merited repiitaLion? On reflection, we cannot attribute 
the difference entirely to the situation, the climate, or 
the soil. Is it not, then, to the little cirre of the cultiva- 
tors, to the following of a blind routine, or to the ignor- 
ance of the laws of nature, or to the ])reierence tbat is 
given to vines that abound in juice of a gross nature, 
above those which produce wines of a better quality ?" 
Page 6. 

'' The laws of vegetation, regarding the vine, will show 
you that a rich soil will produce the most vigorous shoots, 
but that the sap -thus communicated from the vine to the 
grape would not be sufficiently elaborated ; the wine 
would be insipid and weak. It is necessary to diminish 
the vigor of the vine to obtain a wine of good quality ; 
to do this, the soil best suited for the purpose must be 
selected, the best plants, the perfect maturity of the fruit 
must be attended to, and the most favorable time for the 
vintage. From chemistry, he must learn the elements of 
wine, and the manner to direct the fermentation, etc. 
He must follow^ nature ; in all his operations, sheiihould 
be his study ; he should be tractable to her lessons ; she 
alone never deceives." Pages T and 8, introduction. 

" In France, it is only necessary to cultivate the shel- 
tered hill-sides, and soils granitic and calcareous, or 



164 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

sandv, and generallj the poorest, such as are not suit- 
able for pasture or grain." Page 29. 

" The earth, the most suitable for vegetation in general, 
is that composed of a mixture of flint, of clay, (alumine,) 
and of lime, in such proportions as readily to imbibe 
moisture, and so to retain it that it may be constantly 
and insensibly evaporated by the warmth, giving enough 
nourishment to the plants until a renewed rain has again 
filled the reservoirs. Y/hen there is too uiuch aridity, 
the plants become weakened and soon die. To constitute 
a good vegetative soil, it is not sufHcient that barely the 
top laj'er of earth shall be thus composed ; it must be of 
good depth." Page 197. 

" In time, the good soil will wear out, become ex- 
hausted, and one cannot hope to reap a continued advan- 
tage, unless by depositing, from time to time, new prin- 
ciples of nourishment, — of oxygen, of hydrogen, and of 
carbon. These can be found in proper cpiantities in the 
manures of animals, and. decomposed vegetable matter. 
One may also usefully employ certain, minerals, not as 
manure, but as a rectifier : for instance, fossils and marl, 
Vvdiich, from the effect of moisture and heat, ferment and 
cause the small lumps of earth to separate, and render 
the whole mass more permeable to the substances which 
form the sap." Page 198. 

"The nutritive principles required from the soil, for 
the cultivation of the grape, are the same as those named 
as requisite for general cultivation; but when there is 
not a suliicieiiL supply of moisture, the vine will not pros- ^ 
per." Page 219. 

" The kind of earth re^^arded as the most suitable for 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 165 

tliG cultivation of the vine varies with the cliinato in 
which the culture of this pUxnt is introduced. We do 
not speak here of the superior layers of soil, which 
would make such an assertion hazardous. Experience 
has demonstrated, that, in the southerly (meridionaux) 
departments, the vine flourishes in volcanic earth, in the 
(freestone) grit, and in the granitic gravel, mixed with 
vegetable earth and with some clay, (alumine). Towards 
the centre of France, they succeed in the schistes, (slaty) 
and above all in the calcareous rock, which crumbles on 
exposure to the air. At the north, they prefer the coarse 
gravel combined with calcareous earth. But everywhere 
you may make use of collections of earths and stones 
(almost monstrous,) of all kinds, provided that the mass 
be permeable to water, and retain but little moisture. 
All agree that an essential quality for a good earth for 
the vine, is, that it should possess a mixture of quartz, 
of flint, and coarse gravel. The rays of the sun pene- 
trate these stones and furnish warmth during the day, 
and distribute it to the plants by night. This is not all : 
in earths exceedingly porous, they yet serve, by the eitect 
of their solidity and quantity, to diminish the too rapid 
evaporation of the moisture. Besides, (Anally,) it is by 
the vegetables that the soil produces that we can best 
judge of its quality, and of the temperature of the cli- 
mate. Wherever the cultivator shall see the peach tree 
prosper naturally, he may conclude the situation is favor- 
able for the culture of the vine." Page 246.''^ 

* The mildew, the rot, and the bhght, to which all grapes are subject in 
the United States, more particularly the European kinds, render this re- 
mark incorrect, as regards this country. 



166 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 

"If the earth wliere you propose to plant a vineyard 
is cultivated already, tlK3 best preparation for so doing is 
to plant, for two or three years, the soil with vegetables, 
giving the preference to such as require the most work- 
ing of the land in the cultivation. The labor necessary 
in this operation, and the manures by which the^^are 
made to thrive, prepares, lightens, and enriches it. The 
dung, in general so adverse to the vine, so prejudicial to 
the quality of the fruit, incorporated into the soil in ad- 
vance, can^ have only good effects ; it has become freed 
of the carbonic acid in excess, and the vegetable sub- 
stances become united with the under surface of the 
earth ; the soil, thus prepared, is suitable for the vine in 
every age, but more particularly in its infancy." Page 
251. 

Kemarks quoted by Dr. Lindley in the controversy re- 
lating to manures for vines : — 

"The same reasons may be used against the sj^stem of 
the vine-growers of the north, who think it advantageous 
to manure their vines. By this means, indeed, they ob- 
tain larger crops, and more wine, but it is of bad quality, 
it will not keep ; and its smell often reminds me^ wlien 
drcnik^ of the disgusting suhstances loMch produced it. 
Manure communicates to the vine too much nourishment. 
The nutritious juice, reduced to gas, and recei^^ed br the 
mouths of the capillary roots, and by the air-vessels 
of the leaves, penetrates and circulates in the sap-vessels, 
forms the wood of the plant, and furnishes the substance 
out of which the shouts, leaves, flo'wers, and fruit ai-e de- 
veloped ; the more abundant the nutritive matter, the 
more the diameter of the vessels distends, the more rapid 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 167 

is the circulation oftlic sap, because the channels through 
which it passes have more capacity. This causes the 
sap to circulate in a less state of elaboration, the result 
of which must be, that the wine is flat, insipid, and des- 
titute of all the principles of alcohol. Nevertheless^ the 
cibundard cro]) thus obtained^ and tJiehrilliant vegetation^ 
are^ after all^ m some measure deceptive, for they can 
BE- BUT TRANSITORY. Li vincjards where manuring is 
practised, they only manure once in ten years. It is not 
to be doubted, that the effect is very remarkable the first 
three or four years after the manuring of the vines, hut, 
i7i the succeeding years, the plants hegin to hmguish i no 
longer finding that abundance of nourishment to which 
they have been accustomed, they suffer in consequence, 
•and often fall victims to the want of it. Thus a part of 
the plants are lost, either by too much or too little nour- 
ishment. But vines can receive, and it is often advan- 
tageous to give them, such manure as will make good 
the poverty of the soil, its exhaustion, or what is required 
otherwise for this sort of cultivation. JSTo manure suits 
vines better than what is properly called vegetable earth, 
obtained by the decomposition of plants. Mosses, leaves, 
and turf, mixed together, thrown up in great heaps, and 
left for about tv/o years to ferment, make the very best 
manure of this sort." Page 333. 

These remarks follow the above, quoted by Dr. Lind- 
ley, and may be considered essential to the proper under- 
standing of the matter : — 

*' jSTevertheless, as it is often impossible to procure, in 
yuflScient quantities, these (decomposed vegetables,) sub- 
stances, intelligent cultivators have recourse to such as 



168 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

can be had from tlie bottom of rivers, ponds, and ditc^^^s, . 
and the svv^eepings of the roads and streets ; these e 
made np in heaps, composed alternately of a layer of. 
tliese articles and a layer of old dung from the cow or 
ox, the horse or sheep. This is left to winter ia this con- 
dition ; it is then spaded over, on all sides, and this is re- 
peated often during a year ; after this, it is ready to be 
applied to the vines. Manures differ in quality, and it 
cannot be positively said which is best for a place, unless 
the quality of the earth which is to receive it is known. 
A manure niay be destructive to a vine in one part of a 
vineyard, and yet be highly invigorating to some other 
part even of the same vineyard. 

"To improve a soil that is too moist, spread gravel 
upon it ; that from ravines is preferable, because it con-- 
tains a mixture of humus, and shells, and marl, and oth- 
er calcareous substances. You may also give for manure, 
ashes, soot, pigeon's dung, and other powerful substan- 
ces, but it is necessary that these should be for v "* ug 
time exposed to the air and reduced to poudrette. These 
should be mixed with good loam, to render the effect 
more durable. Where the soil is excessively wet, it will 
be best to apply manure without any other mixture ; i^^ 
this case, spread a handful of the substance, as 
would sow the seed broadcast on the land. 

" Yegetable matter alone is sufficient to invigorate, for 
many years, the vine which has been suffering in poor 
soil near the top of a declivity. Thus, to manure and 
improve a soil understandingl}^, you must be acquainted 
with the effects of the different manures, and of the pro- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 169 

^•^r proportion in which to apply these to the necessities 
't^f the different kinds of earth. 

" Some cultivators have employed the scrapings of 
horns, others have made use of the hoofs and feet of 
shp'^.p, and others, again, of the pieces of woolen clothes. 

" All these matters succeed as manures for the vine ; 
they contain much hydrogen and carbon, two of the chief 
agents in vegetation. Buried in the earth, their decom- 
position is slow, nearly insensible ; but, as it is impossi- 
ble to obtain these in large quantities, it is not necessary 
to discuss the effect of them at large ; perhaps they may 
have the efiect to give a peculiar taste to the wine." 
Pages 335 and 337. 

" Fresh dung, the manures obtained from the deposi- 
tories for carrion, etc., and other powerful matters not 
yet converted into poudrette, are not the only substances 
which give a bad taste to the wine. The vine absorbs 
with much vigor all vapory substances suspended in the 
ai . '^—TraiU stir la Culture de la Yigne^ page 340. 

The soil of the celebrated vineyards which produce 
the Constantia wine at the Cape of Good ^ope is a de- 
composed sandstone. 

' The vineyard of Rudesheim, on the Ehine, is very 
.. 3p, and is terraced ; the soil is of a dark rocky nature. 

The soil of Johannisberg, on the Rhine, is argillace- 
ous schist, with a proportion of mica, and, in one place, 
IS a reddish quartz. This is mixed with diluvial and al- 
luvial deposits, in most parts. The exposure is south- 
west, with a slope of fifteen degrees. The grape gener- 
ally cultivated near the Rhine is the (Riesling,) White 
Rissling. 



170 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

The soil of Leistenwein and Steinwein vineyards, on 
the Main, is similar, being argillaceous with calcareous 
portions, especially fragments of lime. The Leistenwein 
is regarded as the second finest wine of southern Germa- 
ny ; but, as the quantity made is very small, it is seldom 
to be purchased. The grapes grown here are mostly the 
White Eissling and the Traminer. 

The soil of the hill of the Hermitage, where is made 
the celebrated wine of this name, is variable. Dr. Bush- 
by says the hill is of considerable height, but not of 
great extent ; the whole front, which looks to the south, 
may contain three hundred acres, and of this, even the 
middle region does not produce the finest wines. '"• The 
gentleman, whose property we were traversing, pointed 
out to me the direction in which a belt of calcareous soil 
crossed the ordinary granitic soil of the mountain, and 
he said it requires the grapes of these soils to be mi:xed, 
in order to produce the finest quality of Hermitage." — • 
James Bushhy^ London. 

" Between Chagny and Beaune, in France, the plain 
lying to the southeast of the range of hills, which, from 
the value of their produce, give the name of Cote d'Cr 
to the department, is extremely rich, and, to all appear- 
ance, capable of yielding golden harvests of corn, as the 
hills do of wine. The greater portion of it, however, 
w^as planted with vines on both sides of the road. ]^ear 
Chagny, it appeared lighter, with a larger admixture of 
stones, and, on approaching Beaune, it was a rich brown 
loam." — Ihid. 

" At the vineyard of Chambertin, the soil varies ex- 
tremely, even in the distance of one hundred yards ; that 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 171 

nearest the rop.d is of a brown loam of sufficient consist- 
ency, but full of gravel, and, consequently, very friable. 
The gravel consists of small broken pieces of the whitish 
limestone, of which the hill is partly formed. At the 
highest limit to which the ground has- been broken up, it 
is alight-colored clayish-looking soil, with a subsoil of marl 
and abundance of small shells. Both of these soils efferves- 
ced strongly wdth an acid, but the light-colored evidently 
contains a far greater pro23ortion of lime. The soils of 
Beze, another first-rate vinej^ard of the commune of Gev- 
ray, were exactly sin^ilar to that of the lower part of 
Chambertin." — Ihid. 

Several other vineyards are described as having ihe 
same soil. 

Ay, the centre of the district which produces the 
Champaigne wdne, is a small town on the river Marne. 
'^The range of hills above the tovrn of Ay is exposed to 
the full soutii, except wdiere the exposure is varied by 
recesses in the range ; it consequently produces wine of 
the finest quality, and very superior to that of Epernay, 
which is produced on hills exposed to the north. The 
soil is strongly calcareous, full of small pieces of chalk 
and of stones. ITear the top of the hill, the soil is more 
argillaceous." — Ihid. 

" At Argenteuil, the vignerons pay the utmost attention 
to their plantations ; indeed, their mode of cultivation, 
at least as relates to productiveness, may be regarded as 
approaching to the perfection of the art. 

"They apply manure very freely; but this practice, 
though it swells their r^ccZ^^, is thought to deteriorate the 
quality of the grapes. Poudrette is much used, which^is 



172 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

neither more nor less than niii-ht-soil dried and reduced 
to powder. 

"Poudrette, we understand, was first recommended 
by the celebrated Parmentier, about thirty years ago, 
(1Y90,) as a top dressing for various field crops. 

" Frequently, it is formed into a jcompost with the 
weeds and refuse of the garden, and some marly loam, 
or light mould ; the poudrette being spread on the com- 
post bed, in the proportion of half an inch to six inches 
of weeds and earth. Such compost is considered as well 
adapted for stimulating the roots of *fruit trees, especially 
cherries, figs, and vines. 

""The offensive smell is, to a considerable degree, re- 
moved by the addition of quicklime." — Horticultural 
Tour.^ Edinburgh^ 1823. 

From Abercrombie's Practical Gardener. London, 
1823. 

'• Although vines will succeed as plants in any com- 
mon garden earth, it is advisable to allot them a dryish, 
warm, mellow, unexhausted soil, rich in good loam, or 
improved with suitable manure, to the depth of three or 
four feet. A dry bottom is requisite to keep the fruit 
from degenerating in flavor." 

" Once a week, drainings of the dunghill may be 
mixed with water, and applied to the roots when the 
grapes are swelling," says Abercrombie. And again : 
" The vine out of doors would not so often make poor 
returns in fruit, were the soil kept warm and rich by an 
annual dressing when the plant is at rest. Among the 
manures found of great avail in supporting or recovering 
the fertility of vines, may be reckoned rabbit's dung, duck's 



THE CULTUHE OF THE GRAPE. 173 

dung, sheep's dung, sheep's urine, drainings of a common, 
dunghill, vegetable mould, a compost in which warm, 
dry elements rather preponderate, a little hog's blood, or 
bullock's blood, or the general offal of a slaughter-house, 
with a qualifying portion of lime, or shell marl, fresh 
loam, and sharp sand. Whether it be a fluid manure, 
or part of the old earth be dug out and a compost sub- 
stituted, the application is chiefly to be "made at the ex- 
tremity of the roots. The roots of old plants, in a yield- 
ing soil, are sometimes found to have traveled to a won- 
derful distance in quest of nourishment." 

In preparing the border for forcing, this author says 
the materials and proportions should be of " top spit 
sandy loam from an upland pasture, one third part ; un- 
exhausted brown loam from a garden, one fourth part; 
scrapings of roads, free from clay, and repaired with 
gravel or slate, one sixth part ; vegetable mould, or 'old 
tan reduced to earth, or old stable manure, one sixth 
part ; shell marl, or mild lime, one twelfth part. From 
the time the buds rise, until the fruit is set, manure the 
border, once in ten days, with the drainings of the dung- 
hill, poured over the roots of the plants. 

" The border should be kept, at all times, clear from 
weeds. "When it is necessary to recruit the soil, work in 
such a compost as has been described, or similar. The 
dung out of a cow-house, perfectly rotted, is a fine ma- 
nure for the vine." 

Forsyth, in his book on the Culture of Fruit Trees, 
says that " the best manure for vines is a mixture of ve- 
getable mould, rotten dung, and fresh loam turf; and all 
this should be thrown in a heap, and frequently turned, 



174 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

.for a year or hvo, before it is used." Page 219. Lon- 
don, 1824:. 

The following I found in Loudon's Magazine, vol. ITtb, 
page 64:6 ; it is there credited to the Gardener's Chron- 
icle, vol 1st, page 413 : — 

" Mr. Hayward's manure for grapes. I have tried a 
great variety of compounds as food, and have found that 
one qnart of cider, or cider grounds, added to two gal- 
lons of water, brings a grape vine to a more perfect ]3ro- 
lific state than anything else. This mixture must be 
supplied in such quantity as will saturate the earth like 
water to the depth of the roots, and all over the surface 
occupied by the roots. It must only be given once in 
the year ; and, if repeated the second year, its good 
effects will be sustained for several years afterwards 
without farther supplies." 

Hoare. — " The natural soil which is most congenial to 
the growth of the vine, etc., is a rich, light, sandy loam, 
not more than eighteen inches in depth, on a dry bot- 
tom of gravel, stones, or rocks. 

" Of those manures that may be mixed with the soil 
when the border is first made, the best are such as pos- 
sess the two valuable qualities of affording to the roots 
of the vine tlte Jiigliest degree of nourisJiine^it^ combined 
with tJie greatest permmiency of duration. Of this de- 
scription are bones, horns and hoofs of cattle, bone dust, 
the entire carcasses of animals, cuttings of leather, 
woolen rags, feathers, and hair. Bones, however, on ac- 
count of their prolonged effect, are by ftir the most va- 
luable manure that can be deposited in a vine border. 

" Li the year 1826, several vines v/ere planted. In 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 175 

tlie following year, a qiiaiititj of bones, the largest of 
which was the blade bone of a calf, was digged into the 
border, five or six feet from the wall. 

" In the S23ring of 1833, the border was opened, in 
order to ascertain to what extent the. roots of the vine 
were nourished by these bones. It was found that the 
roots had branched out in every possible direction 
amongst them, the surfaces of which were completely 
covered with their fibres. 

" Bone dust is a very powerful manure, producing im- 
mediate eftect, and is lasting in its duration. 

" Liquid manure is highly valuable, where immediate 
effect is required. The most powerful are urine, soot- 
water, blood, the drainings of dungheaps, and soap 
suds. The first of these, on account of its saline quali- 
ties, is better calculated to promote the fertility of the 
vine than any other liquid. 

" For the purpose of top-dressing, and to be forked 
into the border when requisite, may be named, as highly 
enriching manures, night-soil, fish, stable manure, and 
the excrements of every description of birds and ani- 
mals. It is necessary further to observe, with respect to 
the application of liquid manures and top dressings, that 
care must be taken not to make the surface of the border 
too rich." 

After the vine has become established, Mr. Hoare 
says : " The winter being the proper time to manure 
the border, let it now be lightly forked up, and a good 
coating of. manure laid over it about six inches deep, 
w^hich will answer the two-fold purpose of enriching the 
border, and protecting the roots of the vine." 



176 THE CULTUKK OF THE GKAFE. 

According to Mr. Iloare, grapes luay be grown in per- 
fection in England, and. to a great extent (by following 
his directions,) on w-alls and espaliers, and he gives a 
scale of measurement of the vine, by which to regulate 
the crop, as follows : A vine of three inches in circum- 
ference may bear five pounds ; a vine of three and a half 
inches in circumference may bear ten pounds ; and advanc- 
ing in this ratio to ten inches circumference, and, for every 
half inch of increase, allowing the vine to ripen five 
pounds additional of fruit, so that the highest number 
will give a yield of seventy-five pounds. If this can be 
done, and he tells us that he gives the result of his prac- 
tice, it would seem that the question was settled. But it 
ap23ears that there are those holding different opinions. 
In the Gardeners' Chronicle of June 10th, 181:7, is the 
following, on an article relative to planting the banks of 
railways with vines : — 

" We entertain no doubt that some of the traditions 
current in this country, as to vineyards having once been 
profitable, are true, although others are apocryphal ; but 
we altogether disbelieve the statement that the wines of 
England were ever of good, or even tolerable, qualit}^ 

" Upon all such points, we have to depend upon asser- 
tions, whose value cannot now be determined, and a 
question like that of vineyard cultivation in England 
must be decided upon better grounds than tradition, and 
the reports of persons whose taste was wholly unlike our 
own. The fact evidently is, that, where nations had very 
bad internal communications, and slow and difiicult com- 
mercial relations, it was necessary that objects of gener- 
al consumption should be made in every possible place ; 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 177 

especially a commodity so lieavy, bulky, and difficult of 
transport as wine. This, we conceive, quitfe accounts for 
the numerous attempts that were formerly made to ob- 
tain wine in the north of Europe, and for what is called 
the success attending such endeavors. But, as communi- 
cations between country and country became easy, such 
a necessity ceased to exist ; people's taste, m^oreover, be- 
came refined, and, by degrees, all such cultivation as that 
of the vine, in English vineyards, was discontinued. If 
this was not the reason of vineyards being abandoned, 
we are at a loss to know what it could have been. It 
would hardly have been abandoned, if profitable ; and, 
if it was unprofitable formerly, how much more so must 
it be at the present day. 

" But it is alleged, that an ' improved climate, greater 
skill in cultivation, and general advancement in science,' 
would cause vines to be grown to higher perfection in 
England now than formerly. May be ; not that we 
know any thing of the alleged improvement in climate. 
No one can have greater respect for the skill of English 
gardeners than we have ; we are perfectly ready to re- 
cognize the claims of science, and the advantages that 
have attended its application to rural economy ; but 
there are things which neither horticultural skill nor sci- 
ence can effect : and among them is included an exercise 
of control over seasons. We cannot raise the tempera- 
ture of our summer the minutest fraction of a degree; 
we cannot increase the heating power of the solar rays ; 
we cannot prolong their period of action ; in short, we 
cannot give Kent the climate even of Normandy. And 
8* 



178 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

yet we must do all these things if we would grow wine 
as good as even that of the environs of Paris. 

" The fact is, that the vine cannot be profitably culti- 
vated in vineyards beyond 50^ north latitude, and only 
so high as that latitude in very favorable inland situa- 
tions. 

" Great Britain is, therefore, wholly beyond its limits. 
In saying this, we by no means intend to assert that, by 
the selection of such inferior but early varieties as the 
Elack Cluster, or Miller's Burgundy, (not Black Musca- 
dine,) grapes cannot sometimes be imperfectly ripened in 
vineyards in England; no doubt they sometimes will 
come to that sort of maturity which persons, who do not 
distinguish correctly between sugar and vinegar, are ac- 
customed to call ripeness ; as for example last year. But 
we have no hesitation in expressing a decided opinion 
that -to expect a profit from ripe grapes in English vine- 
yards, on even an average of years, is hopeless." — GaT- 
deners* Chronicle^ 1847, page 403. 

Trowell, Chapter on the Yine, page 91, says : " They 
require a light sandy ground to be planted in ; if it is a 
little stony, it will thrive in it, if lying to the south, or 
southeast, and if the bottom is chalky or gravelly under 
the surface, where no springs are. It cannot be well too 
hot or dry, if it is not addicted to heath ; but if bram- 
bles, it is a good sign. Where that shrub grows, such a 
ground is the most proper for a vineyard ; and the de- 
clivity of a hill still better." 

Thus much for the situation and soil in the natural 
state. He then goes on to say : " If your land is loo 
rich, it only permits the roots to shoot out the branches 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 179 

and leaves, but less frnit ; the barren does not admit tho 
roots to be so luxuriant, neither do they enter the earth 
so deep, by which means tliey spread more towards the 
surface, and so give the tender fibrous roots the benefit oi 
receiving the natural sweet and gentle showers, dews. 
&c., which imparts a pregnancy to this plant, and do re- 
ceive the cherishing warmth of the sun, and is more impreg- 
nated Avith the volatile salts, which is drunk by the delicate 
pores and apertures of the latent roots, whilst those 
buried deeper are deprived of that benefit, and grow 
only fertile in watery and insipid leaves without fruit, 
and produces long and unbearing branches, whose joints 
admit of no produce ; whereas the other will produce 
fruitful joints, being very short, like to a joint of a man's 
finger, which are the bearing branches. 'Now when you 
plant your vineyard, let it be east and west, for the other 
position, north and south, is not so good. 

" When you plant, dig your trench near a foot deep, 
and about a yard asunder, for the more ease of going be- 
tween them to do the necessary work that is required in 
the several seasons of the year ; then set your plants, — 
let them be about a cubit long, having three or four eyes 
of the young wood on them ; then plant them in the bot- 
tom of the trench, a little sloping ; when done, cover 
them three or four inches with the mould ; then level 
your ridges, that your sets may just appear above the 
surface ; plant your sets something more than two feet 
from each other ; after this, strew some of the manure 
along the ridges, not too thick, which will |)reserve them. 
Keep them weeded and hoed ; when they begin to shoot, 
then set your props, of what wood you please, of about 



180 THE CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE. 

four feet in length, and the thickness of a common 
broomstick, placed on the north side of the plant." 

After giving directions for pruning, etc., for the first 
three years, he says, at the fourth year, your "plants 
may be expected to bear a quantity of fruit ; then you 
may leave three or four shoots to each plant, with about 
four eyes ; but, when older, you may leave six or more 
from a strong root. 

"■ 'Now when your vineyards want amendment, as all 
lands will, strew some of the manure (liveings,) on the 
ridges and about the ground between the rows, in the 
month of N^ovember. Use no more than sixteen bushels 
of the manure to an acre. 

" ISTow as to vines planted against a wall, pale, or 
house, you may keep them to what height you please, as 
the place will permit, etc, When your vine that is 
planted against your wails, house, &c., wants refresh- 
ment, you may water it with about two quarts of the 
lixivium of the manure, when the vine begins to put forth ; 
you may do the same about midsummer, w^hen the grapes 
are small ; all which invigorates the roots of your vines, 
and makes them yield a much greater plenty of fruit." — 
j^etu Treatise of Gardening^ hy Samuel Trowell. Lon- 
don, 1739. 

The varieties Trowell mentions as cultivated in the 
vineyard are Burgundy, Champaigne, and Frontiniack, 
what we now know, probably, as the small black grapes 
like Miller's Burgundy, White Sweetwater, and Frontig- 
nan. 

The manure spoken of here is described as a very con- 
centrated substance, equal in strength to guano. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 181 

" When a vIdg is to be first establislied on any spot 
where none grew before, the first thhig is to prepare the 
ground for planting. In steep places, where tlie soil 
might be carried away by rains in winter, or spring, ter- 
races are formed by building massive stonewalls aloug 
the slope, and levelling the soil behind them. The walls 
serve to reflect the heat, and form a shelter to the vine 
beloAV. Thus a whole hill is sometimes covered with ter- 
races from top to bottom, and there the wine is general- 
ly good, if the exposure is favorable. Limestone, gravel, 
or coarse sand, with a small mixture -of clay, forms a 
good soil for a vine ; vegetable substances alone should 
be used to enrich it, such as the leaves and tendrils of 
the vine, the residue of the grape when pressed, and, 
failing these, the leaves of trees collected when green 
and formed into a compost with earth. The srround 
should be well trenched, if it will admit of it, or loosen- 
ed with the mattock and pickaxe. The different parts of 
the SQil should be intimately mixed, keeping some fine 
soil at top to set the plants in. Yf hen the ground is pre- 
pared, holes are dug in rows four or five feet wide, at the 
same distance from each other, so as to alternate ; some 
of the finest of the soil is put into each hole, and the 
vine plants, which have been rooted in a nursery, or else 
simple cuttings, are carefully inserted, pressing the 
mould round the roots, and levelling the earth. Rooted 
]3lants will bear the second or third year, but cuttings 
take a much longer time. The usual instrument of til- 
lage in stony and rocky soils is a two-pronged fork fixed 
in a short handle, at an angle less than a right angle with 
the prongs, which are a foot long, and very strong, like 



182 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

a double pickaxe. This is struck into -the ground, and 
then drawn towards the workman, while the handle is 
lifted, which acts as a lever in raising the soil. The next 
year, it is usual to prune the young vine down to one, or, 
at most, two eyes or buds ; but some experienced vine- 
dressers recommend deferring this operation to the second 
year, by which, although the vine will not be so forward 
in fruiting, it will be much strengthened, and fully repay 
the apparent loss of time in the end. In the third year, 
the vine is trained ; that is, the shoots are tied to upright 
stakes planted at 'each root, or they are laid in an arch 
and tied from one root to another along the ground.* 

" When vineyards are established in the plains, where, 
sometimes, as those of Medoc, they produce very good 
\vine^ the intervals between the plants can be stirred by 
the plough, although forking and digging by hand is 
more common ; hoeing is as necessary in a vineyard to 
destroy weeds, as it is in a field of turnips, or any other 
crop sown in rows. The pruning of a vine in bearing, 
the object of which is to produce much fruit without 
weakening the plant, can only be learnt by experience 
and practice ; much of the success of a vineyard depends 
on this operation. In the best vineyards, no manure is 
used, except that which we mentioned before, of leaves 
and tendrils ; but some soils require to be recruited, and, 
without manure, would produce little or no w^ine. In 
this case, there is no alternative, and composts must be 
formed, as is done in common cultivation, with animal 
and vegetable substances mixed and decomposed. Horse 

* This mode of training is hj no means universal, but is common in 
France, and ii) the vicinity of the Rhine. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 183 

dung slioukl be avoided, if possible ;'^ cow dung is cool- 
er and more nearly of a vegetable nature ; this should 
be mixed with as much virgin earth from pastures and 
meadows as can be procured, and laid in small heaps in 
the intervals between the rows. It may be left a little 
while, if it has any rank smell,'and then forked in round 
the roots ; the more it is decomposed the better. Many 
a vineyard, has lost its reputation after having been 
abundantly manured. The Johannisbergh was much re- 
duced in value, after having been dunged, while in the 
possession of General Kellerman. After a certain time, 
which differs in different situations, the vine becomes less 
productive from the exhaustion of the soil, as is the case 
when the same crops are repeatedly sown in the same 
ground ; this depends on the depth of the soil. All pe- 
rennial plants shoot out their roots farther and farther 
every year in search of fresh earth, and it is by this 
means that trees flourish for a long time on the same 
spot ; but if the roots are prevented from spreading, or 
the plants being too crowded, their roots interfere, a di- 
minution of vigor is the consequence. So it is with the 
vine. In this case, the remedy is the same as for land 
bearing cbrn. A rest is necessary, together with the ad- 
dition of such manure as shall restore the lost fertility." 
— Penny Cyclopcedia. 

The superior qualit}^ of wines from celebrated vine- 
} arris, where, it is said, no manure is ever -used, is, in 
some measure, owing to the limiting the amount of fruit 

* If the soil is stiff, horse dung is more suitable than cow, and, when old 
and decayed, is no more heating. 



184 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

which a vuie is allowed to mature, and 'to the great care 
bestowed in the cultivation, — as pruning, and keeping 
the soil constantly worked and loose, and in harvesting 
tlie grapes, being careful not to gather any but what are 
perfectly ripe, and never allowing any defective berries 
to be put in the press (v/hich, in common wine-makij]g, 
usually receives but little attention, all, sound and defec- 
tive, often going into the press together). At Johannis- 
bergh, the vineyard is surrounded by a stone wall ten feet 
high, thus promoting the ripening of the fruit. 

'' Some local influences produce effects which are alike 
inexplicable and inimitable. These, though generally 
attributed to the soil, are not always or solely owing to 
its composition and qualities. In some instances, the 
soil is the main cause of difference, as seen in the Con- 
stantia of the Cape. The climate there is most favorable 
to the growth of the vine ; yet, in one small spac'e only, 
is a tolerable wine produced ; the two contiguous farms 
of the great and little Constantia yielding, the former 
the red sw^eet wine, the latter the White Constantia : the 
soil on which they grow is decomposed sandstone." — 
Penny Cyclojjcijdia. 

" The Montillado, of Spain, is the produce of a white 
soil, containing seventy per cent, of carbonate of lime, 
with alumina, silica, and a little magnesia, while the 
Mandanilla is the produce of the red and sandy earths ; 
yet the wines do not greatly differ in taste or flavor. 
More importance is attached to the soil than it deserves ; 
its physical properties are of more importance than its 
chemical. Cha]jtal was clearly of this opinion, for he 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE. 185 

maintains that, provided it is porous, free, and liglit, its 
comj)onent parts are of little consequence. 

" Where some peculiar strong-smelling substance ex- 
ists in the soil, an odor is communicated to the wine 
which renders it unpleasant. ' This is the case when 
stinkstein (a variety of sub-carbonate of lime, called 
plerre puante,) is present. Even wine tainted with this, 
though at first repulsive, is ultimately relished. The 
vine-growers of France and Portugal have so strong an 
aversion to manuring the vines^ from the notion that it 
deteriorates the flavor of the wine, that, in the latter 
country, at least in the port-yielding district of the Alto 
Douro, the use of manure is forbidden by law. This 
seems to be a prejudice, for the German cultivators ma- 
nure the vines very freely, and no wines are more es- 
teemed for louquet than those of the Rhine; and Brown- 
er justifies the practice, not only with fresh cow dung, 
but with pieces of woolen cloth steeped in liquid manure 
and dried, which is found greatly to augment the pro- 
duce. Professor E-au bears testimony to its utility. 
Even the proprietors of the vineyards near Bourdeaux, 
which produce the highly-prized clarets, employ manure 
once every four or ^jlYQ years. But the same vines will 
yield a wine having very different qualities, at least as 
to fl.avor and perfume, in different seasons. 

" The color of any wine is not dependent on the color 
of the grape from which it is prejoared. Champaigne is 
the produce of a red grape. The coloring principle re- 
sides entirely in the skin, except in the Tentilla, (the 
Erench Teinturiei\ or I'Alicant,) which is entirely pene- 
trated by the coloring principle." — I hid. 



186 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

Dr. Busliby says that in Spain they vary, 2.s in other 
countries, in the practice of manuring vines. At a vine- 
yard in the environs of Xeres, he says : " There was a 
dunghill of fresh horse dung collected outside the vine- 
yard, and though we were uncertain whether we under- 
stood each other's meaning, we supposed him to say that 
they manured each plant annually." At another, he 
says : "The vines are regularly manured with any kind 
of dung, in general, strong stable dung ; not every year, 
hecause, said the vinador who accompanied us, they 
could not procure it." At some vineyards, he makes no 
mention of the practice at all ; at some, they manure 
once in four or fiv^ years, and say that is often enough. 

In France, Dr. Bushby states the same geiieral prac- 
tice ; at some vineyards, he was told that they never 
manured the vines ; at others, for instance, under date 
of Montpelier, he says : " JlvTotwithstanding the apparent 
richness of the soil, I observed them everywhere digging 
in large quantities of duilg, and this, as well as tlie mode 
of pruning, indicated that they v/ere more anxious 
for the quantity, than the quality, of the produce. The 
wines of this district are almost universally converted 
into brandy." 

All the small proprietors manure their vines with 
strong stable dung ; they make no distinction, using that 
of horses and that of cov\'s. 

It would appear that the question. Are vineyards ma- 
nured ? might be put to rest as an established fact that 
they are. Unquestionably, there are places where no- 
thing but loam and vegetable substances are used for 
this purpose. But, from the observations of travellers, 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 187 

and the writings of agriculturists, and from my own ob- 
servation, I have no doubt of the fact. In many of the 
grape countries of Europe, manure is so valuable, that, 
by the road sides, and in the villages, women and chil- 
dren are frequently on the lookout for the droppings from 
the post and other horses that may be passing by. Many 
a time have I seen eight or ten women, scrabbling for 
this purpose, come very near a pitched battle. In Swit- 
zerland, and j)arts of German}^, as well as in some parts 
of France, also, the farmers have, next the road, in front 
of their houses, a large hole, or tank, dug in the earth, 
into which is thrown the manure and all the refuse mat- 
ter of every kind, solid and liquid ; the solid matter is 
heaped up in the middle ; the rainwater is led into this 
hole from the vicinity, and this liquid is carried, by wo- 
men, in large buckets strapped to their backs, and 
spread broadcast over the land. This I have seen ap- 
plied in wet weather, not only to grass land, but to vine- 
yards and other crops, — a practice more beneficial to the 
land, than agreeable to the traveller. 

A story of a grape grower, who had become so poor 
that he could give but little manure to his vineyard, has 
been circulated within a few years, and is often referred 
to, verbally, as proof of the uselessness of the practice. 
The account went on to say, that, finally, having no ma- 
nure at all, as the yield of the vineyard v/as less and less, 
from the constantly diminished quantity of manure given 
to the vines, and he becoming poorer and poorer in con- 
sequence, being almost in despair at the prospect of star- 
vation for himself and family, the thought occurred to 
him that the trimmings of the vines might be of service ; 



188 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

accordingly, the young shoots and leaves were cat into 
pieces and dug into the earth. The result of this appli- 
cation was a fine yield of fruit. I do not question the 
correctness of this story : it is not improbable. But, in 
my estimation, it is proof of the correctness- of some of 
my statements regarding manures, and is evidence of 
the importance of rich soil, and, at the same time, is 
admitting the fact of the practice of manuring vine- 
yards, for it was the deficiency of the manure which 
caused this vineyard to give fruit in a less quantity, 
when it had been accustomed to this annual stimulant. 
According to the story, the vines, at last, almost ceased 
to bear fruit ; as this occurred the year previous to the 
manuring the land with the trimmings of the grape, it 
is not unreasonable to suppose that, by this cessation, the 
plants were strengthened, and enabled, the coming spring, 
to show a good crop ; and, having been kept without 
any stimulant the year previous, and but little, if any, the 
year before that, this application, at midsummer, just at 
the moment when the juices being washed to the roots 
by the rains at this most suitable time, would have the 
most beneficial effect. It is, unquestionably, evidence of 
the value of the trimmings of the vine, but, also, at the 
same time, of the value of manures. 

If I were about to locate a vineyard, a good loam 
should be sought ; one that is readily worked, and made 
permeable to the effects of sun and air. If it were of a 
clayey nature, the incorporating of a good proportion of 
shells, old lime rubbish and bricks, bones, and charcoal 
screenings would improve it, using all, or only part of 
the substances, as they are more or less difficult to ob- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 189 

tail]. If it is intended to form a vineyard on a gravelly 
hill, or other spot with such soil, I would use, of these, 
bones and charcoal, and as much loam from an old pas- 
ture, which had been enriched for years by the droppings 
of sheep and cattle, as could be obtained. If none of 
the articles above named, for the purpose of keeping the 
earth loose, can be had, other, the best substitute, must 
be used ; vegetable mould, leaves, straw, shavings, and 
chips of wood, &c., are suitable. 

With regard to manures for enriching the land, I 
would have a compost heap prepared, into which should 
be incorporated, with reference to the ease of obtaining 
them, any and every article of animal or vegetable mat- 
ter capable of decomposition. In applying them to the 
land, the condition of the soil must be taken into con- 
sideration, giving more or less according to its richness, 
or the reverse. The purpose for which the grapes are to 
be grown must be considered ; if for dessert more nour- 
ishment will be required ; if for wine, a less quantity 
will answer. 

After a vineyard has become established, (which will 
be in five years, according to Chaptal,) if manures are 
scarce, they may be more economically used by spread- 
ing and digging them in, when new ; but it is necessary 
to be cautious in applying neAV and raw manures to all 
fruit-bearing plants ; inexperienced persons should never 
apply any but manures from the compost heap, or that 
have been meliorated by age. If guano is to be used, it 
is safer to do so by forming a mixture with this and ve- 
getable mould, or loam. As a liquid manure, it is ser- 
viceable, using four pounds, at most, to a barrel of water. 



190 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

The grape vine requires from four to six .montlis, ac- 
cording to the kinds, to perfect its fruit. (See August 
Muscat.) Where the season is free from severe frosts 
this length of time, and there are no other obstacles, as 
mildew, blight, &c., the vine may be cultivated. In hot 
climates, near the equator, there is too much rain ; and, 
were it not for this trouble, it is not likely the vine would 
succeed, as it requires a season of rest, and enough of 
cold to cause the leaves to fall. 

" The same latitude does not always allow the grape 
to ripen its fruit in an equal degree of perfection. The 
south of England has the same latitude with some of the 
vineyards on and near the Ehine which give good wine ; 
but the greater humidity and obscuration of the sun pre- 
vent the ripening of the fruit, and the observations of 
Dr. Daubeny have proved that the ripening of fruits 
depends more on the illuminating rays than on the calor- 
ific or chemical rays." 

Planting the Yines. — If rooted vines are to be planted 
in the vineyard, this operation may be performed at the 
most convenient time after the fall of the leaf, and the 
ground is in a good working condition. It should be 
done with care, spreading the roots cautiously out. If 
scions of the vine are to be planted, and where the 
frosts are not very severe, they may be put, immediately 
on cutting, into \hQ earth where they are to remain. If 
it is considered necessary to guard them, during the 
winter, from the frost, they should then be put into 
boxes with sand or coarse earth, and kept in a cool place, 
just above the freezing point, and then plant them out as 
early in the spring as possible. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 191 

TJie system of .Pruning and Training the American 
varieties of the Grajpe^ in gardens^ on houses^ and in 
vineyards. — The American varieties of the grape require 
verj different smnmer treatment from the European 
kinds. The system of training tliem which I should re^ 
commend as the best, is the one Speechlj advises for 
espaliers. It is having eight upright canes permanently 
established, instead of one, as advised by myself, for the 
grapery. 

The vine is to be established in this form, by the same 
process as Mr. Hoare gives for his, (see Hoare's plan,) 
and is, in fact, restoring this to its original and most ju- 
dicious system. After it has once become established, 
the fall or winter pruning will only be to cut back the pre- 
sent year's wood to the spur, leaving one or two eyes, as 
you may think best. 

This plan is illustrated by a view of some vines trained 
as above described, and represented as in full growth in 
summer. The only pruning recommended for the sum- 
mer, is to stop the leading, or any other shoot that may 
be growing too strong, and thereby w^eakening the growth 
of the lower limbs. In August or September, stop the 
shoots by cutting or pinching off their ends. The foliage 
is liable to be injured by blight in some sections of the 
country ; as a remedy for this evil, promote a good stock 
as a reserve. After the fruit is set, and is as large as 
peas, it will be time to tie the shoots into the trellis. In 
the view, it will be observed that this has upright pieces 
three feet apart ; the shoots from the spurs can be se- 
cured to these, or lighter supports may be placed half- 
way between them for this purpose. 



192 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAi'E. 

A "vine slioiild be six or eiglit years old before it be al- 
lowed to cover so much wall as represented in the cut. 
The first year of bearing, these upright shoots may be 
pruned to about six feet, pennitting them to extend 
themselves two feet every year, until the wall is covered. 
If the spurs are too close together, some of them must 
be pruned out, so that every spur and shoot shall have 
ample room. The shoot on the top spur, when the wall 
is full, may be led along the top of the trellis till it has 
growm five or six feet, when it can be pruned back to 
about three feet, leaving the lateral to grow, which can 
be stopped, if it grows too strong, in two or three w^eeks ; 
if not, let it grow till the shoots are stopped in Septem- 
ber. In the winter pruning, this must be cut back, as 
are the other shoots, to the one or two eyes. 

This trellis is made with three horizontal pieces of 
boards, two inches wide by one and a quarter thick. 
The first one is fifteen inches from the ground, the second 
in the middle, and the third near the roof; these are se- 
cured firmly, fourteen inches from the house, by board 
cleats, quite stout, which are nailed to the trellis and 
house. On these horizontal pieces are nailed the up- 
right ones ; they should be one inch thick by two inches 
wide, eight of them to a vine ; the distance between 
them should be three feet from centre to centre. The 
lower, or horizontal limbs of the vine, must be trained 
to the lower horizontal strip, and the upright branches 
trained one to each upright piece, and well secured by 
tying. (See cut.) 

E. T. Underbill, M.D., of the city of New York, has 
a vineyard on the Hudson, where he raises large quan- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 193 

titles of the Isabella and Catawba for the table, which 
are sent to the New York market for sale. 

January 17th, 1842.— This gentleman wrote an ac- 
count of his vineyard, for the " Orchardist's Companion," 
in which he states, " that he has been, for more than ten 
years, extensively engaged in the cultivation of some of 
our native grapes." At this time he considered the Isa- 
bella and Catawba the preferable kinds for cultivation. 
Under date of February 22d, 1848, he writes me, that he 
is still of this opinion, and " that he is experimenting 
with some other varieties, but, at present, I am not pre- 
pared to give any native vine I have ever tried, a prefer- 
ence over them. I have twenty acres of these grapes 
under successful cultivation, and am making preparation 
for putting out four acres more, the coming spring. I 
plant on the side of hills and level surfaces ; either an- 
swer equally well in this climate.* The mildew, which 
was, at a former period, troublesome, has, with the ge- 
nerally improved character and quality of the fruit, dis- 
appeared. They do not suffer from the rot, save in con- 
fined situations, during very warm, rainy seasons. My 
Isabella grapes, which have improved so much in qua- 
lity by cultivation, during the past twelve years, mature 
earlier, and are far less subject to injury from climate or 
other causes, than formerly. Indeed, an Isabella grape 
vineyard properly planted, with acclimated vines, and 
cultivated as they should be, will, in this climate^ give a 
Trior e certain annual croj^ than Indian cornP 

In the communication to the above publication, I find 



* Hudson River, State of New York. 
9 



194 THE CULTURE OF THE GPwAPE. 

Dr. Underhill has more fully expressed liis opinion as to 
the improvement in the quality of the Isabella and Ca* 
tawba, which were growing in the wild state about forty 
years since, (time of writing 1842.) He says, " the 
quality of my fruit has changed very much within a few 
years ; the clusters and berries are much larger and 
sweeter, the skin thinner, and i}iQ pulp has ne(wly disap- 
peared. But I do not wish to be understood as convey- 
ing the idea that others, having a suitable situation, and 
good vines, with properly directed efforts in planting, 
pruning, &c., cannot succeed in raising as fine fruit as 
grows upon Croton Point." 

The native grapes of Massachusetts do not improve by 
cultivation upon removal to the garden ; the bunch and 
berry can be enlarged, but the strong foxy flavor still re- 
mains, which renders them unsuited for the dessert. 

The improvement in the quality of the Isabella and 
Catawba, spoken of by Dr. Underhill, under his cultiva- 
tion, is, no doubt, owing to suitable soil and judicious 
cropping. In its wild state, this fruit would be taxed to 
its utmost, in its efforts to mature the abundant crop 
which it naturally produces ; consequentl}^, the fruit 
would be small, and the flavor deficient. 

Under cultivation, one quarter of the fruit which the 
vine would set, is as much as it would be allowed to ma- 
ture. This would enlarge the bunch and the berry, and 
hasten the period of maturation, and improve the flavor. 
I believe it is generally admitted to be the case, with all 
fruit trees, that a small or limited crop is the highest 
flavored. 

The summer of 1847 was an unpropitious one for 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 195 

grapes, in the open air, in Massaclinsetts, Ihe fruit ripen- 
ing on but very few vines. On vines exposed to the chie 
south, where the soil was dry, or well drained, the fruit 
ripened when the vines were judiciously pruned, and 
curtailed of their over-abundance of fruit; in wet situa- 
tions, it failed entirely. 

The effect of a warm, dry soil, is to cause the sap to 
rise, and the shoots to put forth early in the spring, and 
generally influencing the early ripening of the fruit. 
This fact, when acted upon, in situations where the cli- 
n:iate is sufficiently mild, can be made of service in 
lengthening the season for this fruit ; as, by planting 
vines in wet situations also, you will have a succession of 
fruit. 

H. W. S. Cleveland, Esq., of Burlington, K J., has a 
vineyard of the Isabella, and is increasing it largely. 

The following is Mr. Cleveland's account of his vine- 
yard, furnished me for publication, at my request : — 

" My vineyard comprises between two and three acres, 
and is situated on the south side of the Delaware River, 
one mile above Burlington. The land is level, and is a 
rich mellow loam. The vines were planted by the 
former proprietors of the farm, in 1840, and I am told, 
by a laborer, who assisted in planting them, that there 
w^as no other preparation of the soil than deep plough- 
ing. Some of the vines are now ten inches in circum- 
ference at the surface of the ground. The rows of vines 
are eight feet apart, and the vines sixteen feet apart in 
the rows. They are trained on trellises six feet high, the 
posts of which are eight feet apart, and the lowest slat 
of the trellis two feet from the ground, the nest four, and 



196 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

the next six. Part of the trellis is made of lath, an inch 
thick and two inches wide, and part with ISTo. 12 wire. 
The latter is decidedly best. It costs, in the first place, 
but half as much as the lath, will, no doubt, last much 
longer, makes less shade, and saves much labor of tying 
up the vines, as the tendrils seize upon the wires, and 
save the necessity of strings. My plan of training is, to 
lay in a shoot from each vine on each side, to meet the 
corresponding one from the next vine, on the lower slat, 
and, as the vine becomes stronger, two more in the same 
way, on the next slat. These are never cut out, and the 
fruiting shoots are grown on this old wood, raising new 
ones every year, and cutting out those which have borne. 
I begin pruning as soon as the leaves fall, and work at it 
in all mild weather, through the winter. I have pruned, 
in every week, from twentieth October till tenth of 
March, and never have been able, with the most careful 
observation, to perceive any difference in the time of 
starting, or the vigor and health of the vine or fruit. 
The late pruned ones are certainly more liable to bleed, 
but, if the bleeding hurts them, the injury is not yet per- 
ceptible on my vines. I leave from three to five buds on 
my fruiting shoots, according to their strength. More 
than half the vines in this vineyard are Isabella, the rest 
are Catawba, Elsinboro, Black Madeira, Norton's Seed- 
ling, and one or two other inferior kinds, which I do not 
know. The Isabella is the most certain. The Catawba 
I think the finest grape, but it is much more liable to rot 
and mildew than the Isabella. Twenty pounds to a vine 
is a fair crop for either of these. The Elsinboro is very 
highly esteemed in this vicinity. Its size is that of a 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 197 

large pea, and the seeds are large, but its flavor is pleas- 
ant, the pulp melting, and it has less of the foxy flavor 
than any of our native grapes. The grape which I have 
called the Black Madeira, I am inclined to think, must 
be the Lenoir. A gardener, who worked for the former 
owner of my farm, told me it was ' Black Madeira,' — 
but I can find no description of such a grape, and it cer- 
tainly is not ' Bland's Madeira,' which is but a synonyme 
of the Alexander. Downing's description of the Lenoir, 
answers to the grape which I have called Black Madeira. 
It ripens a week or ten days before the Isabella, and is 
a sweeter grape. Norton's Seedling is third rate with us ; 
it bears well, and ripens well, but is foxy and sour. 

" I planted a new vineyard last spring, (1847,) near my 
old one, and on a similar soil, though the ground has a 
very gentle slope to the southwest. Six months previ- 
ously, I advertised, in our village paper, for bones and 
refuse animal matter of every description, which set the 
boys to collecting them, and before spring I had procured 
about three tons. I had a pit prepared, in which they 
were thrown, and every fresh deposit immediately covered 
with old sod, of w^hich I had collected a great quantity, 
from along fences, &c., before the ground froze. The 
field 'where my vines were to be planted, had been in 
clover the previous year, and all the second crop of the 
clover had been sufi'ered to die on the ground. As soon 
as the ground would do to plough, I spread the contents 
of the pit, bones, sods, &c., as evenly as possible over 
the ground, breaking the skulls and largest bones with a 
sledge. I then run a furrow across the field, as deep as 
the plough could go, and then another plough in the 



198 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

same furrow, which threw out the sub-soil to the depth 
of sixteen inches. The first plough then commenced a 
second furrow, and of course turned the slice of sward, 
with the bones on it, into the bottom of the first, and the 
second plough then threw the sub-soil over it, and so on 
till the whole field was thus trenched. The vines were 
then planted in rows, six feet apart, except that between 
every third and fourth row a space of nine feet was left, 
to admit a cart with manure. These vines were put but 
six feet apart in the rows. 

" Grafting Vines. — In December, 1843, being about 
planting a quantity of foreign vines, in a green-house 
which was built by the former owner of the farm, it oc- 
curred to me that I might get fruit sooner, if I could graft 
upon old vines. The difficulty was in removing the old 
vines. I had some Isabella vines of four years old, which 
I had been obliged to remove the year before, and these 
I judged best to make the attempt with. I took twelve 
of them, not one of which was less than an inch in dia- 
meter, at the surface of the ground, and in taking them 
from the ground I used the greatest care to preserve 
every root. I first took a trowel and dug down beside 
the vine, till I came to a root, and then followed it out 
to its extremity, and then went to the next root, and so 
on, so that I was sometimes an hour digging up a single 
vine. I then planted them outside the house, carried the 
stem to the inside, underground, sawed it oft' two or three 
inches below the surface, split the stock, and inserted two 
sciuns in each, pressed the eai'th as tight as possible 
about them, and so left them. Some of them, however, 
were left till March before grafting, but I did not per- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 199 

ceive any diiFerence in their growth. As soon as the 
eyes had pushed enongh to be tied, I pulled out the 
scion which had the weakest shoot, and trained the other 
up under the rafters. They all grew that season to the 
top of the roof, fourteen feet, and were there stopped. In 
the fall, there were ten of them which I judged to be 
stout enough for fruit, and I cut them down to five buds 
each. They bore, and ripened their fruit well, and have 
continued to bear, more and more, the two seasons since. 
I allowed one, the past season, to bear twenty pounds, 
which was too much, and it was not well colored. The 
rest bore about twelve pounds each, and ripened it well. 
Two of them made rather long-jointed wood the first 
season, and were cut down to one bud in the fall, and 
the next season one of the shoots from one of these buds 
got broken oiF by accident, and I immediately cut off the 
stem, under ground, and grafted a second scion into the 
first. This was in June. It grew perfectly well, and 
has fruited for two seasons past. The kinds I engrafted 
were the Black Hamburgh, Yictoria, Black Prince, and 
White Sweetwater. I have been unable to j^erceive any 
difference between the size, color, and flavor of the fruit, 
from that of the vines on their own stocks. 

" The insects which breed in our light soil, are a great 
trouble here. The rose-bugs attack them while in blos- 
som, and, unless a direct attack is made upon them, they 
soon destroy a large crop of bloom. I have boys with 
tin cups, with a little spirits of turpentine in them, who 
go through the vineyards every morning, during the 
three weeks or thereabouts, that this bug exists, collect- 
ing them into these cups, where they are instantly killed. 



200 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

I have been troubled with a worm, wbicli gets in the 
grape when ripe, and often destroys a whole bunch, bor- 
ing from one berry to another. It is a little grey maggot, 
about one eighth of an inch in length. In the vineyard 
formed last spring, I planted three thousand vines, all 
Isabellas. Formerly, I used to be careful in my summer 
pruning, but after experiment, I was convinced that the 
vines are best let alone, as the leaves got so much injured 
hj storms and insects, that all that are left are needed for 
ripening the fruit. I therefore train up the growing 
shoots to the trellis, and as the side-shoots and stragglers 
push out, so as to be in the way, I simply trim them 
off with a pair of hedge shears. 

" I have been carrying out the plan I told you of last 
fall, — the covering of the ground of my vineyard with 
tan, shavings, and pine leaves, and the advantages ex- 
pected to be derived from it are as follows : that it will 
keep the weeds from growing, and save the necessity of 
ploughing ; it will prevent the lower bunches of grapes 
from getting spattered with the earth, v/hen it rains^ 
which has always been a serious trouble when the earth 
was kept loose by ploughing ; it will keep the earth cool, 
and prevent an early starting of the buds, which some- 
times causes serious loss from late frosts ; and, lastly I 
hope it may prove, in some degree, a guard against those 
insects which breed in the ground, and are most formid- 
able enenyes. 

"Horace W. S. Cleveland.* 

" Oatlands, Burlington., 1848.'* 

* This gentleman has been so troubled by a small green worm, which 
infested the bunches of grapes, that he has almost given up the cultivatioc, 
in the open ground. 1853. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 201 

In a subsequent letter, Mr. Cleveland writes: "We 
are daily lighting rose-bugs, which made their appear- 
ance on the twenty fifth May, but in that part of tlie 
vineyard the ground of which I covered, very few are 
yet to be found, though they have heretofore always been 
most numerous there.'^ 

The fruit in the above vineyard is grown for the dessert. 
The amount of twenty pounds per vine, where the plants 
are so wide asunderj appears to me to be a small crop for 
vines seven or eight years old, of the Isabella or Catawba 
varieties. It is unquestionably, a good plan to limit the 
plant to this quantity when young, and no one can 
judge so well, what a vine is capable of producing, with- 
out injury, as the one having it in charge. 

Culture oftlie Grape in North Carolina. — ^The follow- 
ing is a condensed account of the grape culture in North 
Carolina, originally written for the November number 
of De Bow's Commercial Keview, by Dr. Sidney Weller, 
of North Carolina : — 

" North Carolina is ahead of all her sister states, in the 
wine product, by some thousands of gallons, according 
to the agricultural census of 1840 ; and, as far as I know, 
my vineyard is the largest in this state, and, I suppose, 
in the south, and perhaps the most productive ; since, be- 
sides entertaining hundreds of visitors, and disposing of 
quantities of grapes carried away, I made, last vintage, 
forty barrels of wine. My increase of product has been, 
annually, for a few years past, about ten barrels. 

" Of our native Scuppernong, the grape for the south, 
I make wines that readily bring me, in different markets, 
$1 to $4 per gallon, according to quality. 
9* 



202 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

"Encouraged by patronage, I have, for years past, 
cultivated the choicest varieties, (selected from every 
part of our country,) in the nursery to be well rooted, 
and ready for market ; and more of the Scuppernong 
than any other variety, not only as the best southern 
grape, all things considered, but that it cannot be pro- 
pagated, successfully, by cuttings, but by layers, or 
grafting. 

" I started with a pretty large number of Scuppernong, 
snd other native cuttings — of the Scuppernong mostly. 
The cuttings of this grape all put out in the spring, but, 
as usual with them, they all died in the summer. It is 
best for the American vintner to start his vineyard with 
well-rooted vines, reared in the nursery, from cuttings, 
or from layers. Even in grafting, it is better to begin in 
the nursery, and transfer into the vineyard, after a year's 
growth ; this is a common method with me ; though I have 
a very pretty portion of vineyard acquired by searching 
the woods, late in the spring, when vines are in the leaf, 
and getting stocks of the Fox, and other common kinds, 
an inch or upwards in diameter, grafting them, wedge- 
fashion, and then transplanting, ten feet each w^ay. The 
scions (having been kept back, in a cool place, from 
sprouting,) were "Weller's Halifax and Norton's Virginia 
Seedling. They are kinds I esteem next to the Scupper- 
nong, as free from the propensity to rot, and in other re- 
spects good. 

" It is the uniform result of long experience, that, if 
grafting is effected on stocks procured or dug up from 
the woods, success, with due pains-taking, will surely 
follow, if done at any time fi'om the complete fall of 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 203 

leaves in autumn, until late in spring, or even summer, 
when the scion can be kept back from sprouting. But if 
the graft be on stocks not dug up, or stands where it 
is to remain, it must be done in the fall or early part of 
winter, to ensure success. In this way, I readily changed 
my foreign, and other rotting kinds, into unexceptionable 
native varieties. 'No clay, or any other covering of the 
grafted part, is necessary in grafting grape vines even 
with the ground. All that is to be done, is to saw off 
your stock and put in your scion, (with two or three buds 
thereon,) wedge- fashion, as in cleft-grafting fruit trees, 
and then draw earth around a few inches high, leaving 
one or two buds above ground ; or, where the stock is 
very large, and inconvenient to split, I have made a 
gimlet hole, and inserted the scion, spoil-fashion, and 
then drawn the earth around. 

^' But, to avoid disappointment, the vintner should be 
aware that more trouble and attention is required in the 
grafting process, to pull off sprouts from the old stock, as 
they sj)ring forth to rob the graft, than in the process 
itself; and this is far more the case in grafting to stocks 
standing in their original j^lace, than those procured from 
the woods. To compensate for this, however, the growth 
from the former is mueh greater than from the latter, 
viz. : eight or ten feet a season, in the one case, but 
thirty feet, not uncommonly, in the other. Grafts often 
bear some fine clusters the first season of growth, and 
pretty considerably the second." Mr. Weller is of the 
opinion, " that, while American vineyards far exceed 
European in yield, yet they fall far short in strength of 
the juice yielded, and therefore corresponding keeping 



204 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

ingredients must be used." He is in the habit of adding 
" a plenty of sugar, or brandy, or both," with these in- 
gredients. Mr. Weller makes a fine wine with grapes 
which are partly unripe ; this is what he says of it : 
" Made, September seventeenth, thirty-three gallons, 
composed as follows — of five bushels of White Scupper- 
nong grapes, lialf green ones, two bushels of Purple 
Scuppemong, two and a half bushels of common or 
bunch grapes of the woods ; fermented, after mashing 
(with a machine of two wooden rollers,) two hours ; juice 
strained through folds of a woolen blanket, as it run 
from the press ; twenty pounds of common brown sugar 
then added, and eight gallons of good apple brandy, and 
turned into a new cask, fumigated with a sulphur match." 
This wine " sold readily, after being racked off, for two 
dollars a gallon, under the name of "Weller's Scuppernong 
Champaigne." He further says of the quality : " My 
wine, with no other ingredient than sugar, or pure spirit, 
ever added, circulated in this region, and other parts of 
our country, is pronounced by the best judges to be 
more unequivocally pleasant, healthful, and medicinal, 
than any foreign. Persons in delicate health have found 
essential benefit from its use ; and, I add, that the wine 
made with pure spirits, as a medicated medicine, is more 
generally approved, than that made with sugar." 

Mr. Weller's plan of planting and training has been, 
to plant the vines, the Scuppernong, twenty feet apart, 
and other kinds, ten ; " to lead them up on posts, six or 
eight feet high, and then sideways, on trellises and scaf- 
folding, so that, at length, underneath the canopies, no- 
thing is to be seen, for six or eight feet from the ground, 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 205 

but the main vine stems and supporting posts." He 
adds : " but I now consider twenty feet too near, for tlie 
Scuppernongs, thirty or forty being better, unless it is in- 
tended to remove every other one, before they become 
too large." He saves all the leaves of the vines, and 
digs them into the vineyard, for manure. Mr. Weller 
considers this as the true American system of training 
the vine. The principle of allowing the vine to spread 
and range freely, during summer, is, undoubtedly, cor- 
rect, as applied to the American species, and it is what I 
have recommended for many years. But the system of 
training up the vine by posts, and then spreading them 
on flat frame-work, six or eight feet high from the earth, 
is as much a European plan as the training them to 
sticks, &c. I have seen many vineyards thus trained, in 
Italy, and other countries."^ 

In speaking of the great size of the vine, he says : '' I 
measured to-day, a Scuppernong, fourteen years old from 
planting, and it covers an area whose diameter is fifty 
feet. Another runs thirty feet on scaffolding, and then 
ascends an aspen tree, spreading over its branches to the 
height of about forty feet ; the tree full of grapes. A 
vine in the lower part of this state, near the Scupper- 
nong Island, in the Koanoke, whence this grape and its 
name originated, joroduces its annual yield of five bar- 
rels of wine, I am most credibly informed. 

* " The vineyards are much more beautiful than the Grerraan fields of 
stakes. The vines grow over a frame, higher tlian the head, supported, 
through the whole field, on stone pillars. They interlace and form a com- 
plete leafy screen, while the clusters hang below." — Page 237. This was 
on the ItaUan side of the Alps. Views A-Foot, by J. Bayard Taylor. 
New York, 1846. 



206 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

"The berries of this grape are very large. I have fre- 
quently measured selected ones, and found them to be 
three and a half, and some few, four inches round. 
They are more easily gathered than other kinds. A large 
sheet, with poles fastened to two sides, is held under the 
canopy, and a third person shakes the canopy above, 
with a forked pole, and all the ripe grapes fall into the 
sheet, and the green ones remain on. They are ripening 
here about two months ; and that period ensures succes- 
sive gatJtei'ings, and the 7nost delicious of grape fruit. It 
is a peculiarly southern grape ; and for the south it is, 
doubtless, the best grape in the world, considered in all 
respects. I learn this grape does well everywhere south 
of latitude 37° JN"., when properly managed, and this is, 
to trim enougli, in the first stages of its growth, to pre- 
vent its becoming bushy, and afterwards, (say fifty years, 
or no telling how long a vine will flourish,) to keep, by 
scaffolding, the canopies clear underneath of all strag- 
gling or hanging down branches, six or eight feet high. 
This being not done, the vines will surely fail to bear 
well, and to have the fruit in j^erfection. 

" My Halifax, I estimate next to the Scuppernong 
grape. It runs or spreads to a great extent. From my 
study, I see the top of an apple tree covered with fine 
large clusters, and by measurement, with a ten-foot pole, 
I find the tree forty feet distant from where the main 
stem of the vine stands, to the ground, and the tree is 
twenty feet high. The berry is as large as a common 
bullet, and the clusters of uncommon size. It changes 
its color to a bright purple, long before it ripens, and is 
a good table grape. The Norton Virginia Seedling, next 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 207 

in excellence, is a good eating grape, or for wine, as soon 
as it changes to a dark purple. 

" Grapes for Cultivation at the South. — Of one hun- 
dred and fifty varieties of grapes, I have not more than 
about twenty I consider good and unexceptionable in all 
respects, for American culture. My foreign grapes, 
after trial, I cut down as worthless, and of some, even 
noted natives, I cut down all but a few, and grafted other 
kinds upon their stocks. Of the Catawba, Isabella, 
Herbemont's Madeira, and the Ohio, or Segar Box, and 
others, I retained a few specimens for their fruit, when 
any happened not to rot, which is about one season in 
three, with me ; though I see, from the Patent OflSce re- 
port, that the Isabella and Catawba are not so prone to 
rot in the state of Ohio, and that, more northerly, they 
are still less prone. The rot is a grand difficulty at the 
south, owing, I suppose, to the heat of the climate, and 
the vines prone to it, are worse, in this respect, by age. 
This season has been uncommonly fatal to the kinds in 
question. Till a few days j)ast, we have had rain con- 
tinued for two weeks ; even some grapes in the woods 
rotted. But, to close this essay, I will briefly report 
those varieties, in my vineyards, rotting and not rotting. 
The Isabella, Catawba, Herbemont's Madeira, Long- 
worth's Ohio, Elsinburgh, Norton's Large Purple, and a 
number of other kinds, pretty much all rotted, some 
others about half. The Yine Arbor, Somerville, my 
Halifax Seedling, (from the seed of the Halifax, a most 
excellent grape,) Brinkleyville, and a few others ; some 
few rotted on part of the vines. The kinds least prone 
to rot, are Scuppernong, Weller's Halifax, Norton's Vir- 



208 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

ginia Seedling, Lenoir, ISTorth Carolina, Hiinterville, 
Franklin, and some other varieties, good in every respect, 
and none of which rotted this season. 

Sidney Weller. 
Brinkleyville^ Halifax County^ North Carolina, 

It is only by such tests as the above, that the grapes 
which are suitable for a certain climate, can be ascer- 
tained. It appears that the Scnppernong is the most 
valuable for the south, — this is of no value vi^hatever, at 
the north, being more tender than the foreign kinds. In 
Massachusetts, thus far, the Isabella is the only kind that 
has really done well in all situations ; at the south, this 
rots badly. 

The Syrian, Portion Noir, White ITice, Muscat of 
Alexandria, and Yerdelho, varieties of the grape that do 
not push so early in the spring as other sorts, should be 
tried at the south, as well as the kinds which ripen early. 
This difference may cause some of them to escape dam- 
age, from heavy rains, or other evils. The cluster grapes, 
as Black July, Miller's Burgundy, Pitmaston, and others, 
are more liable to suffer from the rot than the loose 
growing kinds. Training them high, as in Italy, from 
tree to tree, may be the means of preserving them from 
the rot and blight. If this plan is tried, plant the vine 
at a distance from the tree, so that the roots of the two 
may not interfere. The vines may be trained, the two 
or three first years, to a pole in the earth, and thence 
carried by a cord, (or anj^ other way that may recom- 
mend itself,) to the tree ; thence up the trunk, and around 
the three sides, resting upon a limb, over to the second 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 209 

tree, and there secured, the fruit to be borne on the cane 
between the trees ; the spur-pruning of this is advised. 
Another plan of training is, to let the vine run up a sin- 
gle tree, and branch off among the limbs which may be 
well thinned of its branches, to admit the sun and air, 
and the vine can be pruned so as to be kept within reach. 

" To j)reve7it the '- RoV in Grapes. — By a Jerseyman. 
Dear Sir, — You will probably call to mind a conversa- 
tion between us, when I was at Kewburgh, in 1846. I 
laid before you an account of the disease which had then 
made its appearance in our native grapes, — the Isabella 
and Catawba. It commences about the first of July, in 
the form of a dark spot upon a few berries. These, 
afterwards, become entirely spoiled by the disease ; and 
this rot spreads, from berry to berry, till a large part of 
the bunch, or, in many cases, whole bunches are entirely 
spoiled by it. "Wet seasons, unsuitable soil, and various 
other causes have been assigned for it ; but, as yet, to 
my mind, no satisfactory explanation has been given. 

" You advised me, at that time, to apply sulphur and 
lime in the form of gypsum, or common ground plaster 
of Paris ; and you also advised me to use the leaves and 
prunings of the vines for manure. 

" This is the second season of my trying your advice ; 
and, as I received it with the promise of making known 
the results, I accordingly send you a brief statement, 
which, I think, proves that the advice was good. 

" I have about twenty vines of the Isabella and Ca- 
tawba grape, in a full-bearing state, trained on upright 
trellises. In the month of June, (latter part,) 1846, at 
the time I made the summer pruning of the vines,— 



210 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

cutting off the side shoots, two joints above the fruit, — I 
opened shallow trenches, say four or five inches deep, at 
the roots of the vines to be pruned. As fast as the prun- 
ing was finished, the leaves and young stems cut ofi*, 
were laid in these trenches, sprinMed with sufficient gyp- 
sum or plaster^ to whiten the foliage^ (from a pint to a 
quart per plant,) and the whole trodden down and buried 
in the trench. 

" As soon as the leaves fell in the autumn, I repeated 
the process, — raking up the leaves and burying them 
around the roots of the vines, after dusting them over 
with plaster, as before. 

" In June, 184:8, the present season, I repeated the 
same operation at the summer pruning. 

" E'ow the result is as follows : — 

"Although the season is remarkable for the prevalence 
of the rot, not a berry on any of these six vines^ so 
treated, is afiected ; the crop being, on the contrary, very 
good, — the fruit large, and increasing in size. The vines, 
too, are remarkably healthy and vigorous. 

" On the other hand, the remaining vines, fourteen in 
number, are every one affected by the rot — some of them 
very badly ; and, even on those least affected, ten per 
cent, of the berries are destroyed by this disease. 

" I cannot, therefore, escape the conviction, that the 
treatment you proposed has, so far, been effectual, in pre- 
venting this disease. 

"I ought to add, that the vines of my neighbors, ge- 
nerally, are much affected by the rot, this season, and 
that I have seen no Isabellas or Catawbas, this season, that 
surpass, in appearance, those on the six vines alluded to. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 211 

" The ' rot ' is a disease that has only appeared within 
five years, in this part of the countiy. At the south, I 
am told, it has always existed. On the Ohio, as I gather 
from Mr. Longworth's remarks, in j^oiir journal, it is 
quite troublesome in the vineyards ; and it appears to be 
on the increase, through the country generally. A re- 
medy for this disease, must be considered a public 
benefit, and I therefore send you the above remarks, for 
publication, if you deem them worthy. 
" Your friend, 

" A Jeesetman. 

''August, 1848." 

'' Bemarks. — We thank a ' Jersey man,' for his account 
of the, apparently, quite successful experiment. Our 
advice was based on two considerations ; in the first 
place, we supposed that the rot might be owing to the 
want of some inorganic substance in the soil, necessary 
for the perfect maturation of the grape ; and, secondly, 
perhaps to the use of crude animal manures. As sidjyJ^^ur 
and lime are large constituents of those volcanic soils 
abroad, where the grape thrives best, we recommended 
the use of a common substance — gypsum — likely to sup- 
ply them; and as the foliage and shoots of the vine are 
well known to afford the most perfect food for the 
growth of that plant, we recommended the use of the 
prunings and ftillen leaves, buried in the soil, for 
manure. 

'' It is worth while, now, to repeat the experiment on a 
larger scale, in vineyard culture, and we, accordingly, 
recommend it again to the vine-dressers on the Ohio, 



212 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

with a similar request for a statement, when they are 
ready to ' report progress.' — Editor of the Horticul- 
turist." Yol. 3, p. 121. 

I have never had the rot attack a grape in the open 
air. In the grapery with too much dampness, or in very 
wet weather, it sometimes appears, and is easily checked 
by fires, drying the air of the house. It shows itself first on 
the White Frontignan, in small brown dots, very minute; 
they soon spread and meet; a break in the shin next 
follows ; the berry soon rots, affects its neighbor, and more 
or less, or the whole of the bunch, is destroyed. Excess 
of moisture at the . root will promote if not produce it. 
If it is prevented by the application, as stated in the 
communication above, it must be a diff'erent disease from 
that I am acquainted with. Mr. Downing says, " sul- 
phur and lime are large constituents of the volcanic soils 
abroad, where the grape thrives best ;" but I have 
always understood, that, if the weather was too wet, even 
in those countries, they suffered from this evil, particu- 
larly when the wet weather came when the fruit was 
ripening or ripe. 

Indiana Oidtivation. — Mr. John Davis, of Indiana, ten 
miles from Louisville, Kentucky, in 1842, had a vine- 
yard of seven acres, but, at that time, one and a half acres 
only of it was in bearing. The vines were planted in 
rows, six feet apart and three feet from each other in the 
rows. The editors of the Louisville papers say, that, in 
September, the vines in bearing, presented the appear- 
ance of almost " solid walls of fruit." 

Presuminof that the information, from this vineyard, 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 213 

would be valuable, as detailing the result of several 
years' experience, in comparatively a new section of 
grape-growing, in this country, I addressed, the past 
spring, a letter (with such queries Jis I thought would 
procure the desired statements,) to the proprietor of the 
place. The letter was received by the owner of the vine- 
yard, Mr. Amos Goodwin, who, in the best spirit, gave 
me all the desired answers. The most of his letter is 
published in his own words, as follows : — 

" I have about eight acres in cultivation 5 the vines 
are planted in rows, about six feet apart, and at the dis- 
tance of four feet in the rows. My system of pruning 
consists simply in shortening in the wood of the past 
years growth, from one to a dozen eyes, according to 
the condition of the vine, and afterwards tying up the 
new growth to the trellis, from time to time, as it may 
seem to require support. Stout stakes, about five and a 
half feet high, with narrow strips of board nailed on 
them, constitute the best trellis. I tried wire, but the 
sun heated it to such an extent, that it killed the tendrils 
of the vines, and frequently injured the young wood. 

" My grapes are principally Catawba ; I have a few 
of the Isabella, but do not use them for wine. The Ca- 
tawba, as a wine grape, has, in my opinion, no equal 
among grapes that can be successfully cultivated in our 
climate. 

" "We have, occasionally, had the leaves of our vines 
eaten in places, by an insect, but never to an extent suffi- 
cient to be injurious. The rot is the great enemy we 
have to contend with ; some seasons, twenty gallons of 
wine per acre can hardly be realized from our vineyards, 



214 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

in consequence of it. I have noticed, that, whenever 
wheat is injured bj the rust, the grape is, to a propor- 
tionate extent, affected by the rot. They, doubtless, ori- 
ginate from a common cause. As to what that cause is, 
great diversity of opinion exists. My observation does 
not enable me to give, with confidence, any opinion on 
the subject. The young shoots, in spring, are seldom 
injured by frost, except in low grounds. This fact is 
now beginning to be understood by our farmers, and the 
higliest ground is selected, for both vineyards and or- 
chards. 

" I have never tried any of the foreign varieties, Mr. 
Longvvorth's experience having satisfied me, that it would 
be but a waste of time and money. 

" There are a considerable number of vineyards in our 
county, — I cannot, of course, speak with entire accura- 
cy, — but I think I cannot be far wrong, in estimating the 
quantity of land devoted, at present, to the culture of 
the grape, in this county, at from one hundred to one 
hundred and twenty acres. In this estimate, I do not 
mean to include small portions grown merely for family 
use, but vineyards intended for the manufacture of wine. 
This quantity will, probably, be doubled in the course of 
two years more. The vineyards on the hills seem to do 
much better than those immediately on the river. In 
the rich, alluvial bottoms, they do not succeed well, the 
fruit almost invariably rotting. 

" With regard to the profit, a careful cultivator may 
safely calculate on two hundred gallons of wine per acre, 
one year with another; he may, with as much certainty, 
calculate on selling the juice at the press, at from sixty 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 215 

to eighty cents per gallon, making the proceeds, per acre, 
from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty 
dollars. The same labor that will cultivate twenty acres 
of corn, will suffice for ten acres of grapes. The twenty 
acres of corn, when gathered, may, at the best prices 
and best crops, be worth two hundred and fifty dollars ; 
the ten acres of grapes, from twelve hundred to sixteen 
hundred dollars. This, however, cannot be expected to 
last long ; as vineyards increase, and they are doing so 
rapidl}^, the price of wine must come down ; it can be 
manufactured and sold at fifteen cents per bottle, and 
then j)ay the producer better than any other crop he can 
raise. The Champaigne, manufactured from the Cataw- 
ba, is equal, in my judgment, to the best European brands. 
I do not manufacture my own wine, but sell the juice to 
the vintners." 

Amos Goodwin. 
Near CJiarlestown^ 

Clarh County^ Indiana^ 1848. 

In a subsequent letter from this gentleman, dated in 
June, he says, '' our grape crop looks remarkably well 
this season ; the most trying time, however, is yet to 
come, from the middle of July to the period of ripen- 
ing." 

" Permit me to describe a method of grafting the 
grape upon old roots, that I have never seen in print. 
Cut the old root off, some two inches below the ground, 
by a horizontal cut ; then choose a gimlet just the size of 
the scion to be inserted, and bore from one to three or 
four holes, according to the size of the root, and insert 



216 THE CULTURE OF THE GPwAPE. ' 

the scions, first removing the loose bark ; the holes i 
should be two or three inches in depth, and the scions ; 
should fit accurately. I have never known them fail to i 
grow. Old kinds may thus be changed in two years. , 
If the operation is performed so late in the season, that ■ 
the root shows a disposition to bleed, grafting cement ' 
must be used. The holes should be in the direction of j 
the grain of the wood. I have never known this method ) 
fail, and I have never succeeded with any other, though ! 
I have frequently tried both cleft and spb't grafting." 

Amos Goodwin. ] 

Mr. Charles E. Grant, of Koxbury, who has produced ' 
very beautiful Isabella grapes, informs me, that the vine ; 
which bore them, is situated at the south of his house, \ 
and is trained on a trellis. The soil is that thrown out I 
by digging for the cellar, previous to building the house : : 
it is a clayey loam ; this was enriched by the addition of \ 
stable manure, old leather, &c,, and immediately under I 
where the vine was planted, about ten pounds of glue, | 
which had been damaged, was placed, and covered with ; 
soil. Mr. Grant is particular in limiting the crop, cut- ; 
ting away, freely, the bunches, and thinning the berries 
also. The spur-pruning is followed. ] 

i 

The following account of the vineyards in Pennsylva- i 
nia w^as furnished me, at my request, by H. W. S. Cleve- ' 
land, Esq., who obtained the information from the best ! 
authority, one of the largest cultivators of Reading : — j 

" On the mountains in the vicinity of Reading, Penn- 
sylvania, the grape is extensively cultivated by the Ger- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 217 

man inhabitants. I am told, there are about one hun- 
dred and fortj acres planted with vines, in that neighbor- 
hood ; some of the vineyards are fifteen years old. The 
soil is a red slate ; limestone soils are avoided, as, they 
say, the grapes on such soils are more apt to mildew, 
and do not ripen so well. This, I have been assured of, 
by men of much experience in vineyard culture, and it 
certainly is a very important fact, if it is a fact. The 
aspect is the southern side of a hill, often a very steep 
mountain side. Before planting, the land is trenched, 
by running three ploughs, successively, in the same fur- 
row. The rows of vines are five feet apart, and the vines 
six feet in the rows. The vines are trained to stakes, -B.yq 
or six feet high, and are cut close to the surface of the 
ground, raising new shoots from the stump, every year 
for fruit, which are left two or three feet long, and then 
cut off at the stump, after fruiting. They prune any 
time between the fall of the leaf and first of March. 
The only grapes cultivated, are the Isabella and Cataw- 
ba. Till within a few years past, they have only used 
the grapes for wine, which is universally drank by the 
Germans in that vicinity, and sells readily, at wholesale, 
for seventy-five cents the gallon. They calculate that 
twelve pounds of grapes will make a gallon of wine, and 
an average yield will givG twenty barrels per acre. No 
spirit or sugar is added to the liquor, which is therefore 
nothing but the pure fermented juice of the grape. 
Within a few years, some of the cultivators have begun 
sending the grapes to Philadelphia, for the table, where 
they sell them, at wholesale, for eight cents per pound. 
Thev are packed in boxes holding one hundred pounds 
10 



218 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. \ 

and upwards, with alternate layers of grape leaves, and j 
are sent by railroad, fifty or sixty miles." j 

IIoEACE W. S. Cleveland. 

Propagating Vines for Planting. — ^The custom of \ 
planting cuttings immediately in the vineyard rows, \ 
where they are to remain, has been, heretofore^ the prac- 1 
tice, and is still so, in most countries ; the cutting con- . 
sisting of well-ripened wood of the current season, with \ 
a small part of the old, or two years wood, the form be- | 
ing that of a small mallet. The wood of the vine roots j 
freely, and cuttings of one season, if well ripened, I ; 
have always found to grow. The best method of raising ; 
vines, is by single eyes, leaving a quarter or a third of : 
an inch of wood on each side of the eye. This method ; 
requires a bottom heat, to meet with good success.* I 

The cuttings of my vines, which are made at the au- ; 
tumn pruning, I usually mix with the leaves, manure, i 
and litter, with which the border is covered, and they, j 
though placed there as manure, root freely, and we are ! 
constantly weeding them up, during summer. It is said \ 
that the Scuppernong, and some other kinds of Ameri- : 
can grapes, do not do well from cuttings. With such '. 
varieties, the process of layering must be resorted to, ; 
and, to make the most of the cane, in this case, the shoot j 
to be layered, should be cut between each eye, obliquely, i 
two-thirds through the wood, and a piece of shell, or '■ 
glass, or hard wood, put in the cut, to prevent its closing. 
Boots will be thus readily made, and the vines may be j 
taken off, and planted out in the fall, or early spring. ''] 

* Se© Mr. Roberts's directions, for this plan of growing vinos. 




This drawing represents a vine after it has become established in the ! 
grapery, and has been planted six or more years, and has been pruned , 
agreeably to the plan which I have adopted, and described, pages 211 to ' 
130, inclusive. The lateral shoots, which proceed from every leaf, or eye i 
on the current year's wood, are not represented. , 

Page 219. I 



DIFFERENT SYSTEMS 

OF 

TRAINING A]^D PKUOTNG EXPLAINED. 



Hoare's Plai^. — After planting, the vine must be cut 
back to two eyes. 

The first year, if more than two shoots push, rub the 
others off, and train the two shoots to the trellis. As 
soon as it aj^pears probable that no accident will happen 
to the strongest of these shoots, cut out the other ; this 
will be about the first of July ; continue to secure the 
shoot to the trellis, from time to time, as it grows, prun- 
ing in the laterals, to one eye. 

In I^ovember, cut the vine down again, to two eyes. 

The second year, train exactly in the same manner, 
and if an3^ fruit appear, take it off. 

Early in November, cut the vine down to three eyes, 
thus : 

I 

The third year, train up the three shoots, and rub out 
all others ; in July, prune out the weakest one ; stop alx 



220 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



laterals as before ; continue to train the other two care- 
fully, during the season. About the first of September, 
pinch off the ends of the shoots. 

In E'ovember, cut back the two shoots to seven buds 
each, and prune out, carefully, all the laterals, close to 
the buds. 

The fourth year, early in February, cut out of each 
shoot, the first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth buds ; then 
bend the tv/o shoots carefully down, and secure them in 
a horizontal position, thus : — 




T 



6 6^7 



Train the shoots that push from the eyes, three and seven, 
in the manner indicated by the dotted lines, and if more 
fruit shows than is proper for the vine to bear, cut it off 
after the berries hav^e set ; the same treatment of the 
vine is to be pursued, during the season, as last year. 

In September, stop the top of the shoots. 

In October, as soon as the frtiit is gathered, cut back 
the first and third shoots to as many buds as may be 
deemed necessary to produce the quantity of fruit which 
the vine can mature, the next ^ear, and the second and 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 



221 



fourth shoots, to the lowermost bud, each ; cut ont the 
lateral shoots close to the bncls. 

The fifth year, train the two canes in the manner re- 
presented below ; and the two shoots, which will push 
from the spurs H, H, train also in tlie same way. 

The vine has now assumed the form which it is per- 
manently to retain, and it may be considered as the com- 
mencement of a system of alternately fruiting two shoots, 
and of training two, at full length, for bearing wood to 
fruit the following year ; which method can be continued, 
without alteration, until the vine is able to mature more 
fruit, when the arms may be extended, and as many 
more upright or bearing canes added as are required. 

This plan may do for the Isabella, or other native 
kinds ; it might answer on the back trellis of a house, 
but, for the roof, it would not succeed so well, as the 
shoots would occupy too much space. 




H 




H 



M 



- j i a fi S f i "»; $3y> - 



222 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

It is liable to the same objections that all the long cane 
systems of training are.* 

The long, or succession- mode of pruning, is recom- 
mended by Mr. London, and many others. It is thus : — 

The j^V^z; year^ one shoot only is allowed to grow, which 
is cut down, at the autumn pruning, to the second or 
third eye. 

The second yeai\ two shoots are encouraged, the 
strongest of which must be stopped three or four buds 
beyond the middle of the root, the weaker one after grow- 
ins: three or four feet. 

At the fall of the leaf, the shoots are to be reduced ; 

* Extracts from a Journal of a Horticultural Tour. Bv a deputation of 
the Caledonian Horticultural Society. Edinburgh, 1823 : — 

Ghent, seat of the Baron de Vrocylande. 

"There are two small vineries, which did not afford us much satisfaction. 
The vines are planted in front, on the outside of the house. Every year, a 
nev/ set of wood is taken into the vinery ; the wood produced this year, is 
trained upright, on an exterior trellis, and is, next season, laid down to a 
sloping trellis, and made to yield its fruit within the house. 

" The wood which has once been forced, is cut entirely out ; and from 
the same roots, new upright shoots are, annually, required. The shoots 
which had been forced, still remained, and a bare inspection was sufficient 
to satisfy any one, that they could have afforded but very few grapes.' 
The exterior, upright shoots, of this season, were, at the same time, in a 
very backward state, and there was (sixteenth August,) little prospect of 
their acquiring maturity this year." 

The natural soil of the garden is represented as hght and sandy ; but no 
mention is made of the border for the vines. 

At the seat of .Madame Yilain Quatorze, also, at G-lient, the same method 
of forcing the grape is pursued, and the result is, sickly and weak vines. 

At Brussels, also, they found similar training and pruning, and with no 
better success. 

This plan of training, etc., is upon the renewal system, and, where this 
is adopted and continued for many years, the effect must be to weaken tho 
vine. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 223 

the main one must be pruned back to the middle of the 
roof, and the lower one to the third eye. 

The third year^ one leading shoot is to be trained in 
from each cane, and, from the main cane, fruit-bearing 
side shoots will be produced ; one bunch only on a shoot 
should be retained, and the shoot stopped at .one or two 
eyes beyond it. No side shoots should be allowed to 
grow from the spur or cane which was cut back, the 
leading shoot from which is to become a fruit-bearing 
cane the next year. 

In November, the shoot from the end of the fruit-bear- 
ing cane must be cut at the top of the rafters, or within 
a foot of the top, and the shoot from the spur must be 
pruned back to the middle of the rafter, and all the spurs 
that bore the fruit must be pruned out. 

The fourth yeai\ a crop will be produced, both in the 
upper and lower part of the house, the long cane-bearing 
on the upper part, and the shorter on its whole length ; 
a leading shoot must be trained from the short cane, and 
another, a new cane, from a spur below. 

In pruning, at the fall of the leaf, the long cane must 
be taken entirely away, and replaced by the cane that 
bore the fruit on the lower part ; the spurs on this must 
be cut out, as on the cane last year, and the new cane 
brought up this year, must be cut back to the middle of 
the rafters ; a spur must be left below, to lead up a new 
cane from, the next year. 

By this system, you have the whole length of rafters 
fruited by two canes, and a third one is to be growling for 
the next year, to supply the place of the one which is to 
be cut out at the fall pruning. 



224 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 



This is, unquestionably, the best system of pruning, 
on the long cane principle, and it is explained here by a 
representation of the vine in the successive years. 






a, is the vine afler planting. 

6, is the vi-ie cut back, at the close of the first year of grow-th. 

c, is the vine cut back, at the close of the second year, 

d, is the vine as it will be, after pruning, at the end of the third year. 

c, shows the vine with the first bearing cane cut out, and pruned for 
fruiting the next year; every successive year, the long shoot must be cut 
out, and its place supplied, as above directed. 

Another system, practised in this country, is, to train 
a new cane, every year, the whole length of the rafter, 
to fruit the successive season ; the cane, which bore the 
fruit, being pruned back to one eye, in November. This 
is more simple than the former plan ; but an objection 
to this, and all other long cane pruning and training is, 
that it requires the vine to produce and ripen a large 
crop of fruit, and a great extent of wood also, every 
year. The result of this plan would be, that, in a few 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 225 

years, the vine would evidently be less and less vigorous, 
and the new cane would be constantly growing smaller, 
until the vine would not bear any fruit, when a year of 
rest would be required to enable it to ripen a crop again. 
By this system, you can grow very large bunches of fruit ; 
but, if it is true, that large bunches are not so good as 
smaller ones, (which I hold to be the fact,) then there is 
no advantage in this. There is no difficulty in having a 
great abundance of fruit show itself, under any judicious 
pruning ; the only fear is, that you will leave more on 
the vine than can be ripened properly, and this risk is 
increased by having very large bunches. 

Another plan is, to have one long cane the length re- 
quired, and to be spur-pruned, as recommended as the 
best system of pruning, differing from that, however, in 
the cutting of the spur clean out, at the fall pruning, and 
not at one eye, as there directed. The reason for prefer- 
ring to cut at one eye is, that, at the base or crown of 
the spur, are a large number of dormant eyes, which 
will all, or a great many of them, push when close prun- 
ing is practised ; and, where there are a great number 
of vines, the trouble of rubbing out these is considera- 
ble ; but when one eye on the spur pushes, it will pre- 
vent these from growing ; and if, at any time, the eye, 
from injury, does not push, then the dormant eyes will, 
and you can retain a shoot, and when this system of 
pruning has been carried out many years, and the spur 
becomes too long for convenience, or unsightly, then you 
can train one of the shoots that are constantly pushing 



226 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

on the bare wood of the spur, and prune back on that, 
in the autumn, to one eje. 

Another plan of spur- pruning, which is recommended 
to be practised, when the object desired is to grow large 
bunches, and the regularity and neatness of the vine are 
not considered, is to prune the shoot at any length, cut- 
ting so as to leave a full, strong eye at the end, for fruit- 
ing ; all the intervening eyes, excepting the one at the 
base, are to be pruned out ; this is to be grown for fruit- 
ing the next season, and is to be pruned, at the autumn 
trimming, at the prominent eye ; the shoot which has 
fruited, and all the back wood on the spur, should be cut 
out entirely. 

Still another method of spur-pruning, when the object 
is large bunches, as above, is to have four or five spurs 
only, on each side of the cane, fruiting, each year, the 
alternate spur ; the cane on every other spur is to be 
pruned back to one eye, and the alternate cane to two or 
three feet, and five or six bunches allowed to ripen on 
each ; the cane which ripened the crop the first year, 
must now, at the fall pruning, be cut back to one eye, 
and the cane which is to fruit the coming season, should 
be pruned to two or three feet. 

These are several of the most approved and generally 
adopted systems of training the grape. Whatever meth- 
od is used, should be persevered in for several years ; 
constantly changing from one system to another is bad, 
and the result will be unsatisfactory. 

If the border has been well made, and the vines have 




a a, are the I'ruitiag spurs. 

h b, the spurs on whicli the shoots are growing for the next year. 

[To face page 226.] 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 227 

never been over-cropped, and the temperature of the 
house, with the thinning of the berries, and summer 
pruning of the shoots, have been properly attended to, 
crops of fine grapes can be had from vines pruned in 
any of the methods described. The plan recommended 
and adopted by myself, is considered the most simiDle, 
and the one taxing the vine the least of any to ripen ad- 
ditional wood; it is easily kept within narrow limits, 
giving ample room for the light to be admitted. 

In the best vineyards, where the richest wines are 
made, the}^ limit the crop a plant may bear to a small 
number of bunches, usually from eight to twenty-five in 
number, and in weight to from ten to twenty pounds ; in 
some parts of France, where they plant the vines very 
close, to a much smaller quantity. 

At Xeres in Spain, the sherry wine district, two or 
three mother branches are trained up with one spur on 
each to fruit, and the vines are planted five feet apart 
each v^ray. The crop is limited to eight or nine bunches, 
weighing about fourteen or sixteen pounds. 

At other vineyards in Spain, where poor wines are 
made, the vine is allowed to bear twenty-five or thirty 
pounds. 

In the vicinity of Malaga, where the Muscat of Alex- 
andria grape is grown for the purpose of making raisins, 
they prune close to the old wood every autumn, and the 
plant is kept close to the surface of the soil, which is a 
rotten slate ; the shoots are not tied up, but hang, or lie 
upon the earth. The fruit also lies on the ground, and if 
it were not so gravelly, it would rot ; the average yield, 
per vine, here, is from seven to fifteen pounds ; this grape 



228 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

makes the best, or Muscadel raisin. The grape from 
which the Bloom raisin is made, is an inferior kind, and 
the grape of commerce a still more ordinary one ; these 
are grown in the interior, and the vines are allowed to 
ripen from ten to twenty-five pounds. 

I^ear Perpignan, in France, the vine is trimmed at 
about six inches from the ground ; from the spurs, at this 
height, the bearing shoots proceed, and are not support- 
ed at all ; the close spur-pruning is followed ; from three 
to eight spurs are allowed on a vine, according to its age 
and strength. 

ISTear Marseilles, they sometimes prune to three eyes 
on a spur, and each vine is allowed to bear from eight 
to twelve bunches, or from twelve to twenty pounds. 

At the vineyards that produce the fine wine called 
Hermitage, the plants are only two and a half feet apart, 
and are two feet high, supported with stakes five feet 
long ; only one branch is allowed to fruit, and this is 
pruned back to from three to eight eyes, and from eight 
to ten bunches is the average crop. 

At the vineyards which produce the Burgundy wine, 
the plants are grown yet closer together. The rows of 
vines are only two and a half feet apart, and the plants 
in the rows are only twelve or fifteen inches. After the 
vines have been three years planted, the space between 
the rows is filled up with vines, making the distance be- 
tween the plants only fifteen inches. 

At the vineyards of Epernay and Ay, where the 
Champaigne wine is made, the vines are, in the rows, 
planted as near together as six or seven inches, and the 
distance between the rows is only eight or nine. Of 



THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 229 

course, the vines are feeble, and produce but a small 
quantity of fruit each ; the shoots are also very small 
and weak, but the vines being so close together, the gen- 
eral aggregate of fruit produced is large. 

At the vineyards on the banks of the Rhine, the vines 
are supported by stakes five or six feet long ; this is the 
case, generall}^, in the vineyard culture of the grape in 
France. The spur-pruning is usually adopted. 

In Italy, also, the same system is generally employed. 
In this, and other countries, I have seen the table, or fiat 
trellis nsed. — (See note to North Carolina system.) By 
the road sides, the long cane-pruning is practised in the 
following manner : — A vine is trained up the trunk of a 
tree, and, at the height of twelve or fifteeti feet, a long- 
cane of the vine is led from this tree to another, and se- 
cured ; these canes, hanging in festoons, present a beau- 
tiful appearance when the fruit is in p'erfection."^ 

In the Azores, the vines are not supported by stakes ; 
usually, a small pile of stones encircles the plant, and the 
bearing shoots lie on these. Muscats, and other choice 
kinds, which are grown expressly for the table, are gen- 
erally trained on a trellis. 

At Pico, where the w^ine exported from Fayal is made, 
the vine is trained on the surface of the soil, (which is 
mostly volcanic rock,) between walls composed of stone, 

* " As we advanced, the houses became more ItaHan-like, — and the vines, 
heavy with ripening grapes, hung from bough to bough, through the mul- 
berry orchards." Page 239. 

"The vines which hung from tree to tree, were ahnost breaking beneath 
clusters as heavy and rich, as those which the children of Israel bore on 
staves, from the Promised Land." — Page 276. Yiews A-Foot, by J. Bayard 
Taylor. New York, 1846. 



280 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

or lava ; and between these, cross-walls are frequently 
interspersed, to break tlie force of the winds, intersect- 
ing the vineyards in the same form as a window-sash. 
At Madeira, a similar method is pm'sued. 

Yines, in the open air, are more free from mildew 
when trained quite high or very low. 

In villages on the continent of Europe, it is common 
to see, in the principal streets, the vine trained on the 
houses, above the lower windows, about twelve feet from 
the ground ; a great quantity of fruit is thus produced 
at little expense ; the roots running under the pavement 
of the street. 

The kinds grown are usually the small black sorts, 
similar to the Early Black July, and Miller's Burgundy. 




^ /^ •c?' ^ 


^ /^ y7^ y^ ^ ^ 


""^ "^ ^*^. 


^ ^iw — ^5 — ^sc-N^- ^ 



They are trained to suit the taste or convenience of the 

cultivator. The following method is frequently met 
v,'ith : — ^The leading shoot, after the vine has become es- 
tablished, should be treated as directed in the rules for 
the management of the American grape. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 231 

The pruning is on the short-spiir system.* 

It should be borne in mind, that the larger the crop a 
vine is allowed to bear, the longer will be the time re- 
quired to mature the fruit, and the quality of which will 
also be deteriorated in proportion to its amount. 

The native varieties of the grape, when planted in a 
soil naturally dry and suitable, will do well w^ithout a 
prepared border; but, as a general rule, it must be re- 
membered that the more care there is bestowed on the 
preparation of this, the greater will be the chance of 
success. 

The Black Hamburgh grape, when well cnltivated, is 
a richer fruit in this climate than in that of England, and 
it is necessary to test the quality of the foreign kinds 
here, as the experience of European cultivators does not 
always coincide with our own.f 

* la the Journal of Horticultural Tour, Edinburgh, 1823, is the follow- 
ing: — " Grape vines are likewise commonly trained against the walls of the 
houses, in the outskirts of the town, (Rotterdam.) and we were assured 
that they often pi'ove very • productive. A long shed, extending two 
hundred feet, was thickly clothed with vine branches, which were tolerably 
well filled with fruit. There were, in ail, six plants, wliich grew in the 
open area, next the street; we observed both White and Black grapes; tlie 
latter were more numerous, the Frank endale." 

f Dr. Lindley, after some remj^i'ks relative to fruits of American origin, 
in which he states their " utter worthlessness in England," advising his 
readers not to try them, closes with this language : — " Tliey can only be 
disappointed so long as the mean of the hottest month is 64" 40' in London, 
and 80=' -70' in K"ew York." — Gardeners' Chronicle, 1848, p. 51. 

By the above remarks, it would seem that Dr. Lindley attributes all this 
difference in the quality of fruits, to the diminished quantity of heat ; 
doubtless, in this diSerence of heat, he means to include also the effect of 
the relative proportion of diminished light from the sUn, which is, in part, 
the cause of this lower temperature. But these circumstances will not al- 
ways explain the causes of these differeuces in the goodness of fruits. For 



FLOEIDA CULTUKE. 



The Hon. A. G. Semmes, of Florida, Las been experi- 
menting with Grapes in open cnlture in that section of 
the United States, and with marked success. The reader 
of the following remarks, (extracted from letters to the 
author of this book,)' will see, that, notwithstanding his 
vineyard has been destroyed by a terrific gale, enough 
has been proved, to show that the vine in its richest va- 
rieties will repay the cultivator for his efforts. 

Apalachicola, June 29, 1850. 
" On receiving the cuttings of the Josling's St. Albans, 
enclosed in your letter, I found two of them alive, which 
I grafted on wild stocks ; they took at once, and are now 

instance, the Black Hamburgh grape cannot well be surpassed in richness 
of quality, when well groAyn, in this country. It is generally spoken of as 
a very desirable kind to cultivate, on account of its hardiness ard good 
bearing qualities, and not of its being anj^thing more than a good grape ; 
" though not of the very first quality," is the term often used respecting it, 
in England. The Esperione is there spo'ken of as but little inferior to the 
Hamburgh. In Massachusetts, it is very inferior, and not worthy of a 
place in the front border of the house, but on the back wall, where its 
roots can be kept quite dry, the quality is better ; in a position where its 
roots are situated in a soil, as regards moisture, more unlike that of Eng- 
land, it approaches more nearly to the quality of the fruit there. If heat 
caused the difference in the Hamburgh, why does it not in the Esperione ? 
I presume that the soil gf a country has some effect, as well as the sun and 
heat, in effecting these changes. It is not confined to any one fruit, but 
the change is noticed iu apples, pears, grapes, peaches, cherries, and other 
kinds. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 238 

growing rapidly. I will have a fine crop of fruit from 
them next year, for you will understand that a vine 
grows in this latitiide in one year, what they do in your 
latitude in at least three years. The last season, I raised 
a fine crop from a graft of the Muscat of Alexandria 
(on wild stock) one year old, one bunch weighing eight 
and a half pounds, and perfect in form and flavor." 

" The birds are the only evil we have in this climate 
in raising foreign grapes. They never touch a white 
grape, probably waiting for them to turn black." 

" Our season has been quite backward this year, and 
my grapes have not matured as early by a month as last 
year. During this month I have had the Early Musca- 
dine and Malaga in abundance. The Black Hamburgh, 
Black St. Peters, and Muscat of Alexandria, are ripen- 
ing rapidly, and will be in perfection the following 
months, July and August. My native grapes, Isabella, 
Catawba, &c., ripen in August and September. The Isa- 
bella here is a very inferior grape, and ripens very bad- 
ly. The Catawba is its superior in every respect. Bland 
is superior to either. But the great southern grape is the 
Scuppernong; in this latitude far superior to l^orth 
Carolina, its reputed native place. A gentleman of high 
character and intelligence, who cultivates the Scupper- 
nong in Louisiana, says it is a Grecian grape, and that the 
Greeks make their finest wine from it. We never prune 
it, and its yield is almost incredible ; when perfectly ripe 
the fruit is a very deep bronze, very sweet and with but 
little pulp." 

" The foreign grapes, grafted on our native stocks, do 
far better than when growing on original stocks, are 



231- THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

much more hardy, far more luxuriant, and bear better 
and earlier. The Isabella stock will, in two years' 
growth, exceed any foi'eign varietj^ I have tried, in four 
or five years' growth, but any foreign variety grafted 
will grow as rapidlj^ as the native. I have foreign vines 
now, grafted last February, many with five and six 
branches, each branch or stem from fifteen to twenty-fi.ve 
feet, and they have until December next to grow, when 
foreign varieties commence dropping their leaves. The 
native varieties drop their leaves some six or eight wrecks 
earlier, except the Scuppernong, which continues to grow 
till sometime in December." 

" I train my vines on a trellis from seven to eight feet 
high (of wire), but cannot follow the rigid system of 
pruning recommended in European culture, and prac- 
tised at the E"orth. Where the vines are allowed to 
grow with but little pruning, a trellis is far preferable to 
the arbor, for many reasons ; but v/e have to so train our 
vines, that not a raj of sunshine ever touches the fruit ; 
otherwise the fruit loses much of its fine flavor and is 
altogether robbed of its bloom, w^hich, if it does not pre- 
serve its flavor, at least adds to its beauty. The grapes 
I raise (as an amateur) are said, by northern gentlemen, 
here, to be far superior to any they ever tasted from the 
hot houses at the north. There can be no climate in the 
world superior to this section (West Florida) for the for- 
eign grape. I have tested the raising of the foreign va- 
rieties, at least for six years, and have no doubt as to the 
success of any one of ordinary intelligence undertaking 
the business. The only objection in this place and im- 
mediate neighborhood is, the soil is too sandy. This we 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 235 

have to remedy, ^vliicb we partially do. I manure alto- 
gether with bones (whole), shells, aiul palmetto roots, all 
deposited in the gromid when the vine is planted ; they 
will last, I believe, twenty to thirty years. The latter ar- 
ticle contains a great deal of potash, and it aifords a fine 
manure, though of course not so durable as the former. 
Animal matter I never use, unless decomposed, in which 
state it is very superior. There is no substancB, however, 
equal to bones, and the larger and fresher the better, as 
they afford, by their gradual decomposition, the very 
richest and most suitable manure for the vine. If, how- 
ever, wine and not table fruit is the object, vegetable 
manures should be used to the exclusion of bones and 
other animal matter, and this for obvious reasons. 

" Allow me to say that I have derived much satisfac- 
tion in reading your work on the grape. The arrange- 
ment and your own remarks on the view^s of other wtI- 
ters are most judicious." 

'* I have, I believe, all the publications on the subject 
extant, and thinking, as I do, that it is superior to any of 
them, have recommended it to many of my friends." 

" QuiNCT, Florida, Deeemter 22, 1852. 

"Yours of the 5th instant has just been received, and 
I reply without delay: The severe gale of 1851 de- 
stroyed my vineyard in Apalachicola. Being located 
some 150 yards from the bay, the water swept away my 
dwelling, and killed many of my most valuable vines. 

" The remnant I brought with me to this place, where 
I removed last January. I had some 600 vines, out of 
which I have saved 20 or 30. The cuttings you sent me 



236 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

were all growing finely, most of them liaving been grafted 
on native stocks. Tiiisjear would have tested their 
quality and adaptation to this climate ; hut, I regret to 
say, I have lost them all, except one of the Josling's St. 
Alban's.* So soon as I can make the necessary arrange- 
ments I shall again commence. After the most tho- 
rough trial, I am perfectly satisfied that the foreign grape 
can be cultivated in this climate with success. The cli- 
mate is in every respect adapted to its cultivation, and 
the soil, which in this section is objectionable, (being a 
heavy clay,) is very easily remedied. The ground once 
properly prepared, all that is necessary to ensure suc- 
cess, is a judicious system of pruning and training the 
vines. The one, in this climate, is as important as the 
other, and either neglected, must end in disappointment. 
The rot, which is the great evil complained of by almost 
every one who has undertaken the cultivation of the 
vine in the Southern States, particularly in this latitude, 
is to be attributed altogether to the fatal error they have 
adopted in both pruning and training. The preparation 
of the soil, of course, is essential to the healthy and vig- 
orous growth of the vine, and without these we cannot 
have good fruit ; but it is a great mistake made by many 
writers on the subject, that certain manures, upon which 
the vine feeds, and which the most of our soils are de- 
ficient in, will prevent the rot. The close pruning for 
out door culture, adopted in Europe, and the Eastern 
States particularly, will not answer for this climate. The 
reason is yqvj obvious. The vine is too much exposed 

* The cuttings referred to here were Hybrid Seedlings, of ray own grow- 
ing, and new kinds, mostly of recent introduction from Europe. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 23T 

to the intense lieat of onr sun ; besides, on account of tlie 
Leat and duration of our summers, a vine here, under 
proper culture, Tvill, in twelve "months, grow as much as 
a vine in England will in four years. And to adopt the 
rigid system recommended by Mr. Hoare, would ensure 
a loss of the fruit every year, and, in the end, the vine 
itself. After a vine has become established, say after 
the first fruit year, (if healthy,) it should never be pruned 
back exceeding one half, and oftentimes not more than 
one third, of that year's growth, unless it be the smaller 
lateral shoots. This will secure a sufficient foliage to 
protect the fruit from the rays of the sun, loliich is the 
main cause of the rot. Unlike other fruit, it is all-im- 
portant that the grape be entirely shaded at every stage 
of its growth and maturity, otherwise, if it escape the 
rot, it will be small, hard, and insipid. I have Imov.-n 
canvass, and other artificial means, adopted to shade the 
vines in this climate. This will not answer ; for al- 
though it will secure the fruit from the rot, yet the ricli 
flavor of the grape is impaired, if not entirely destroyed. 
The natural shade and protection of the fruit is the 
foliage, and the more luxuriant this is, the greater cer- 
tainty of fruit of large size, and rich flavor. After seve- 
ral years' experience with some five hundred vines, I 
have never known an instance in which these sugges- 
tions did not prove true, both in regard to the native and 
foreign varieties, especially the latter, on account of their 
thin skin and great delicacy. 

" In training the vine, I much prefer the trellis to the 
arbor. As to the kind of grape suited to this climate, 
I would state, I know of no foreign variety which will not 



238 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

succeed in open culture, and I have cultivated many va- 
rieties which cannot be raised in England on account of 
their great delicacy. The true Malaga — on account of its 
exceedingly thin skin, the most difficult — I have culti- 
vated to great perfection, and it was pronounced by all 
who tried them, as far superior to the imported Portugal 
or Malaga, as a ripe peach to a green one. Among the 
foreign varieties, I rank first the Muscat of Alexandria ; 
no grape can equal it in j^oint of flavor, and I have raised 
them weighing 8J pounds to the bunch, and without an 
imperfect grape. E"ext is the Black Hamburgh, and 
then the Malaga. These three I place at the head of the 
list of foreign grapes. 

" Among the native varieties, the most valuable I con- 
sider the Scuppernong, which cannot be cultivated at the 
north. It is claimed to be a native of North Carolina. 
This is a mistake. It is a Grecian grape, known there as 
the Alaric^ and from which the finest wines of Greece 
are made. All things considered, it is unsurpassed as a 
table fruit, except by the three foreign varieties I have 
named. As a wine grape, it has not its equal. It will 
yield five gallons of juice to the bushel of grapes. The 
fruit in Carolina is far inferior to that raised in this cli- 
mate. In point of flavor, one would hardly recognize it 
as the same grape. This is to be attributed mainly to 
our long seasons, the fruit blooming in May, and ripening 
in August and September. The bunches are small, vary- 
ing from three to ten berries each, and when properly 
cultivated, the grapes will average from 2^ to 3 inches 
in circumference. If manured with vegetable matter, 
they have but little, if any, pulp. If with bones, or 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 239 

other aiiiinal manure, they are a richer table fruit, but 
with more pulp, and consequently less valuable as a wine 
grape. The vine is never j)runed. It prunes itself. 
The knife is fatal to it. And, unlike all other grape vines, 
it will not strike root from a cutting, it being propagated 
cxclusivelv by layers. The next best grape in this cli- 
mate, of the natives, is the Elsingburgh, and with this 
the chapter is complete, for I know^ of no other w^orth the 
trouble of raising. The Isabella is utterly worthless 
with us ; so is Hyde's Eliza. The Catawba, and Warren 
grapes, are each better ; but those who have eaten of 
either the Alai'ic or Elsingburgh, and especially any of 
the foreign varieties, would never undertake the culture 
of the Isabella or Catawba. 

" I have eaten of the best of this fruit raised by Dr. 
Underbill at Croton Point, near New York, and have 
come to the conclusion that it is impossible to rid the 
Isabella of its pulp, and of that wild native flavor it ori- 
ginally had."^" 

"I have been compelled necessarily to condense my 
remarks, but allow me to say in conclusion that I know 
of no work in this country or Europe in which more 
valuable suggestions upon the subject of Horticulture, 
and particularly of the cultivation of the grape vine, are 
to be found than in your publication. With my entire 
library, it has gone to sea, in the gale of 1851. I hope 
you will supply me with a copy of the new edition. 

* [This gentleman is not partial to the fox flavor of the native American 
grape. Many can be found who are, however, and I think this number is in- 
creasing, as evidenced by the great sale of tliis fruit annually, and the im- 
mense quantities now grown by amateurs for their own use. — Ed.] 



240 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Those who hav(3 a taste for such things, and wish to learn^ 
will be repaid bj the perusal. 

" Respectfully ^^oiirs, 

(Signed) " A. G. Semmes." 

When preparing this third edition, I wrote to R. T. 
Underhill, M.D., to inquire if he had any remarks which 
he might wish to have published ; he being the largest 
and most successful cultivator of the native grape in the 
Northern States. The following letter was the answei* 
received. 



" Ceoton Point, D 6067111)67' 25, 1852. 
" J. FiSK Allen, Esq. : 

" Dear Sir, — Your letter is received. Having been 
from home when it arrived prevented my returning you 
a prompt answer. I was in Philadelphia at the time 
looking after a vineyard of ten and a half acres of Isa- 
bella grapes I formed last spring for a resident of that 
city. That is to say, I furnished the plants, gave every 
direction for the preparation of the ground, and the 
planting of the vines, and agreed to furnish him with 
one of my vinedressers in two years after it was planted, 
when it will be of proper age for bearing fruit, and he 
will prune it accordingly. He will have the entire di- 
rection of the vineyard ; the proprietor paying him a 
reasonable compensation for his labor. 

" I have in this manner established quite a number of 
vineyards, beside my own at Crotoii Point, in the vicini- 
ty of l^ew York city, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and 
trust, if I live a few years longer, to form one, or more, 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 241 

in tlie vicinity of every city between New York and 
New Orleans. 

" Yoii state you are about publishing a third edition of 
your work on the Grape, and that it occurred to you that 
I might wish to say somewhat in reference to my success 
in the cultivation of the grape at Croton Point. 

" First I will state I have read your work on the culti- 
vation of the (/rape binder glass ^ and so far as I am capa- 
ble of judging in this depwtment^ I do consider it one of 
tlie hest that has been published. Your views in reference 
to the preparation of the horder for a grapery are very 
correct. The gross, rank, stimulating manures so fre- 
quently used in large quantities, may sometimes give 
very large clusters, but the excellent flavor will be sacri- 
ficed, and all the good qualities proportionally deterior- 
ated. 

" I first read your book two or three years since, and 
w^as happy to find my views were not solitary on this 
subject. It is a general law of the vegetable economy, 
that gross, rank manures, have a tendency to prevent 
that perfect assimilation necessary to give the excellent 
flavor, and secure the development of a large proportion 
of nutritive qualities in fruits and vegetables. 

" You state you were in New York during the grape 
season and that you saw ' anj^ quantity of very fine Isa- 
bellas from my vineyards.' You say further you ' never 
saw finer,' and 'that they were well ripened, rich, and 
sweet.' I can not help feeling I have accom.plished 
much, when, however complimentary I may view your 
letter, my fruit has secured the approbation of one of 

the most successful cultivators of grapes under glass in 
11 



242 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

the United States. ' In relation to the snccess of my 
vineyards at Croton Point, I may say, they have more 
than realized my most sanguine expectations. The fla- 
vor and general character of the fruit have improved 
very much during the last ten years ; and will I believe 
continue to improve by close attention and good manage- 
ment. When a vineyard of Isabella grapes is properly 
formed and cultivated, the crop of fruit, in this vicinity 
(below the Highlands of the Hudson River), is about as 
certain as a crop of Indian corn. "When their proper 
culture is not understood, a crop of fruit would be near- 
ly as uncertain in the Southern States, as in this latitude. 
" The demand for the fruit is greatly on the increase. 
There are ten or twelve vineyards, of moderate size, in 
the vicinity of 'New York beside those at Croton Point, 
many of which have come into bearing, and yet the 
market has shown less appearance of being over-stocked 
with grapes of the first quality, than it was many years 
ago, when the quantity furnished was comparatively 
email. The fact is, quite a number of" our citizens are 
beginning to eat grapes for pleasure and health. "When 
the greater part of the community who can afford it, 
j^artake freely of this delightful fruit, which they will in 
ten years, or less, if they can obtain it, it is my belief, from 
a close scrutiny into the rise and progress of the grape 
culture on the Atlantic seaboard, a hundred vineyards 
will not supply the demand for this fruit in New York, 
Philadelphia, and Boston, at remunerating prices. 
" Yours truly, 

" R. T. Underhill, M.D." 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 243 



EEMAEKS OK THE USE OF MANUEES. 



SmcE the publication of the first edition of the Cul- 
ture OF THE Grape, there has been much interest ex- 
pressed in the question, whether animal substances were 
beneficial, or otherwise, as part of the compost forming 
the border. This interest, in this country, has been in- 
creased by an article in the Magazine of Horticulture, 
edited bj Mr. Hovej, in which he, in strong language, 
disapproves of not only animal remains, but classes 
under the term of " quackery" almost every article that 
has been, from time immemorial, considered, both by 
practical gardeners and scientific writers, as useful as 
amendments for the vineyard. This opinion of his, being 
published about the time of the appearance of the above 
pamphlet, wherein I had directed most of these articles 
to be used in the formation of the border, excited some 
remark, and the question is often asked. How can there 
be such a diversity of opinion aixl practice ? My belief 
is, that there is not so wide a difference as there would 
appear ; the reason for this will be given in the proper 
place. 

A subsequent article by the same editor, in confirma- 
tion of his former opinion, appeared in the February 



244 THE CULTURE OF THE GRxiPE. 

number of bis magazine, and, in support of bis views, be 
brings forward tbe editor of tbe Gardeners' Chronicle, 
wbo disapproves of carrion, but notbing is said against 
sbells and otber articles by tbis gentleman; on tbe con- 
trary, tbe apjjlication of tbese is incidentally approved 
of, by tbe commendation of antbors wbo do advise tbeir 
use. 

Tbe following remarks of Mr. Hovey, are tbe two ar- 
ticles referred to : — 

" On the Formation of Vine Borders. By the Edi- 
tor. — ^Tbe cultivation of tbe grape vine under glass is 
now attracting mucb attention ; and many new vineries 
bave been erected in various parts of tbe country tbe last 
two years. Tbe formation of tbe border, certainly one 
of tbe most important objects connected witb tbe suc- 
cessful management and future welfare of tbe vines, is, 
tberefore, considered as deserving of every attention. 
Mucb bas been written upon tbis subject in eacb volume 
of our magazine, and we bave endeavored to present our 
readers witb all tbe information wbicb could be of any 
value to tbe amateur or practical cultivator. In our ar- 
ticle in our last volume, (Yol. 13, p. 293,) upon tbe 
growtb of tbe grape vine in tbe greenbouse or conserva- 
tory, we gave a few bints upon tbe preparation of vine 
borders, and remarked ' tbat ^fine crop of grapes could 
be obtained witbout all tbe quackery so often recom- 
mended in tbeir formation, sucb as a bed of oyster sbells, 
or boiled bones, dead horses, cattle, dogs, slaughter-house 
manure, blood, soot, &c.' 

" Some of our practical friends, wbo have bad some 
experience in the culture of tbe grape, bave been some- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 245 

wliat surprised to find we were not a firm believer in the 
great efiicacj of the very richest ingredients, such as 
dead animals, for the formation of the border, and some 
have been almost disposed to doubt whether our own 
success was not effected by some such aid, contrary to 
our statement. To the former, we need only remark, 
that we are more and more convinced, that the employ- 
ment of the carcasses of animals is of no benefit what- 
ever, but rather an injury in the end ; and, to the latter, 
we shall merely state that, whatever practice we recom- 
mend, we invariably adopt, until experience assures us 
that it is founded in error. 

" The subject of the preparation of vine borders has 
recently attracted considerable attention in England, and 
various communications have appeared, in some of the 
gardening periodicals, in relation to the practice of using 
the carcasses of dead animals. This discussion has taken 
place in consequence of the publication of a small, but 
excellent little work, of only eighty or ninety pages, upon 
the culture of the grape, by Mr. Roberts, a very success- 
ful cultivator. Probably, few copies of the volume have 
ever found their way here, in consequence of the high 
price at which it was published. We, however, received 
a copy when it first appeared, and read it with much 
interest, and came to the same"" conclusion as Dr. Lindley, 
whose article we are about to notice, that it was one of 
the most thorough, practical, and common-sense treatises 
which we had ever read, and, saving its recommendation 
of the 'pabulum'^ of dead animals, to produce the 

* A substance affording nourishment. 



246 THE CULTURE OP' THE GRAPE. 

' nectar of Ejiccliii?,' wr^s jnst what, every cultivator of 
the grape Vv-us in need of. We liad intended to have pre- 
pared a review of it, but other matters pressed upon us, 
and it was, for the time, forgotten. 

" The preparation of our article in our last volume 
brought the subject up anew, and it was in reference to 
Mr. Koberts's views that we made the remark before 
quoted. Subsequently to the publication of our paper, 
and unknown to us at the time we wrote, appeared Mr. 
Allen's paunphlet on tlie culture of the grape, in which 
he iidvises the use of carcasses of dead animals, if they 
can be had, to such an extent as to cover the bottom of 
the border. In our review of this work, (Yol. 13, p. 
409,) we incidentally stated our objection to this practice, 
believing it to be of no use, but rather injurious to the 
future health of the vines. 

" Since that time, the discussion of this question has 
principally taken place, and, to show that our views are 
the same as tliose entertained b}" experienced cultivators, 
as well as scientific writers, abroad, we have quoted the 
following article from the Gardeners' Chronicle for De- 
cember last, to which we ask especial attention." — Mag- 
azine of Ilorticulture^ Vol. 14,^^^/76 49. 

After describing the conservatory, and with other re- 
marks relative to the plants therein, Mr. Hovey goes on 
to say, that it was not originally intended to plant vines 
in the house, but that, being anxious to prove kinds, 
" we commenced the formation of the border, not with the 
expectation that we shonld raise any grapes worth the 
trouble. Consequently, the border was made only four- 
teen feet wide and two and a half deep, and, as the con- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 247 

Bei'vatory was set well up with a view to have a fine 
gravelled trellis, the border was eighteen inches above 
the level of the lawn. The border was formed by cart- 
ing in sods and good loam from an old pasture, and mix- 
ing with them about one quarter of well decomposed ma- 
nure from the stable yard and from old hotbeds. Tins 
was done in July and August at leisure time. In the 
fall, the whole w^as trenched over in a rough manner, 
and about thirty bushels of ground bones added. In 
this way, the soil lay till the next spring, when it was 
again trenched over and ready for planting. We are not 
thus particular in order to show how a border should be 
made, but merely that it may be seen that a fine crop 
of grapes can be obtained without all tlie quadcery so 
often recommended in their formation, such as a bed of 
oyster shells or boiled -bones, dead horses, cattle, and 
dogs, slaughter house manure, blood, soot, &c. All that 
is necessary, in our opinion, to produce the very best 
grapes, is a good rich, loamy soil, well top-dressed^ every 
year, with old stable manure and guano, in order to 
bring the roots to the surface, rather than that they 
should go to the bottom after the dead carcasses." 

After planting the vines, Mr. Hovey directs, " that, 
should the weather prove dry, the roots be well watered, 
and tlie surface mulched with a little coarse stable ma- 
nure." 

The third season, the vines were allowed to bear from 
two to five bunches each. Yerj^ gentle cropping, certain- 
ly. Mr. H. says they were of superior quality, the vines 
were not forced, and ripened their fruit in September. 

The fourth season. The regular diary of the treatment 



248 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

that the vines received begins now. I shall only notice 
what relates to the manures. In former seasons, nothing 
is said about manures, and we can only presume they 
were applied then as they were the year of the record, 
as this is given as a guide for the management of the 
vines generally : — 

" Mareli 1st. — Some of the vines have burst a few of 
their eyes. 

" Api'il SOth. — The border not yet having been dug, 
it was manured with ten or fifteen pounds of guano, and 
spaded about six inches deep. 

" Jime 9th. — The weather having been quite dry, the 
border has been mulched with coarse manure, and about 
a barrel of water given to each vine. 

" June 11 til — Gave the border about ten barrels of 
water. 

" June oOth. — Since the refreshing rains of the 20tk 
to the 28th, the berries have swelled very fast. 

^'July 12th. — Warm, with refreshing showers. 

'^July 22f7. — Was rainy; the 25th the rainy weather 
continues. 

" August 8^7i.— Light showers. 

" August 10th. — Showers. 

" August 15z5A.— The weather having been dry since 
the 10th, gave about a barrel of water to each vine. 

'• August olst. — The fruit all ripe, with the exception 
of the Esperione and Black Prince." 

Mr. Hovey has omitted to state, that his border was 
covered with coarse manure and leaves in sufficient quan- 
tity to prevent severe frosts from injuring the roots of 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 249 

the vines. This is an important matter, and should not 
be neglected, for, in addition to the benefit derived from 
this protection, from the severity of the weather, the ad- 
vantages from the juices of this covering being washed 
down amongst the soil and roots, by the rains and melt- 
ing snows of winter, (particularly where the border is 
not of the very richest kind,) must be very great. The 
vines were planted, on an av^erage, four and a half feet 
apart, the length of the house being eighty-six feet, and 
nineteen vines being the number planted. I should have 
planted, in the same space, twenty-nine vines, or fifty 
per cent, greater. And this difference in the number of 
the vines has a very important bearing upon the subject, 
as the roots of the vine in his border have this per cent- 
age more space to roam for nourishment. Allowing that 
the vine, thus situated, does perfect a good crop of fine 
fruit, still, by the plan of close planting, with a very rich 
border, the difference in the product must be very much 
in favor of the latter system. 

Mr. Hovey remarks, "All that is necessary, in our 
opinion, to produce the very best grapes, is a good, rich, 
loamy soil, well top-dressed^ every year, with old stable 
manure and guano." I agree with him perfectly, so far 
as the soil is concerned, and go even further than he 
does, for if this good^ rioh^ loamy soil is had, you have 
already everything that is wanted, so far as nourishing 
matter is concerned, and there can be no necessity for 
this yearly application of stable manure and guano, — 
this latter article the most concentrated and powerful 
manure known. (I cannot see the propriety of recom- 
mending the use of this, when the application of decom- 
11* 



250 THE CULTUnE OF THE GRAPE. 

posed animal substances is forbidden.) If sucb a soil 
can be found, tlie only preparation requisite before i:)lant- 
/fng the vine, will be, if the situation requires it, some 
kind of application, such as shells or charcoal screenings, 
which would have a tendency to loosen and give per- 
meability thereto, so as to allow the rain to pass freely 
through the soil, and, at the same time, make it easy for 
the roots to spread. This is just the soil we are attempt- 
ing to form when we prepare the border, as directed 
under the proper head. In Massachusetts, I suppose 
such a soil will rarely be met with, and a prepared border 
must be resorted to. 

A benefit to be derived from the top-dressing of stable 
manure and guano, according to Mr. Hovey, is, that the 
roots are thus brought to the surface, " rather than that 
they should go to the bottom after the dead carcasses." 
These dead carcasses appear to be a great bugbear in our 
friend's path, and one would suppose, by the dread in 
which he stands of them, tliat the bunches of fruit, in- 
stead of having their usual bloom, would be ornamented 
with hogs' bristles, horses' hair, dogs' teeth, and other 
curiosities. How long does he suppose this carcass re- 
tains any appearance of what it was when placed in the 
border? In Massachusetts, and south of this, if placed 
there during any time but the winter months, in sixty 
days every vestige of the body will have disappeared, 
excepting the bones, horns, hoofs, and hair, and will have 
become incorporated with the soil and enriched it to a 
great degree. The bones, being at the bottom, will re- 
main according to their size and age, from one to fifty 
years, continually and very slowly decon-» posing. Mr. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 251 

Hovey wishes to keep the roots at tlie surface, and this 
he will do bj the top-dressing. 

In the directions for the winter treatment of the vine, 
it was recommended to cover the border with coarse ma- 
nure and leaves, so that all the advantage the vine would 
derive from this application would be reaped by follow- 
ing my plan ; and, when fire-heat was used in the spring, 
it is urged, as proper, to add to the litter, etc., already on, 
enough of new manure to cover the border twelve or 
eighteen inches thick, which would ferment and heat, 
and certainly encourage the roots to keep to the surface. 
But does any one suppose that all the roots of the vine, — 
a plant that will live for centuries, — are to be kept within 
such a limit ? This bugbear of the carcasses, (I am not 
so particular about the flesh being on them, it is the 
bones and hoois I depend upon chiefly,) which trouble 
Mr, Hovey so much, and which are to draw the roots of 
the vine down to them, (it is admitted then that there is 
such nourishment,) I place there, at the bottom of the 
border, the lower part of them three feet and the upper 
part, perhaps, not more than two under the surface, to 
give durability to the border, presuming that the vino 
will not reach them before the second, third, or fourth 
year, and that, when it does, by the superior richness of 
this strata, the roots are eflectuaily prevented from going 
deeper in search of food ; it is well known that the roots 
of the grape will form spongioles innumerable over the 
surface of bones partially decomposed, and that they 
turn and return, on the inside and outside of them, hav- 
ing no disposition to part company. 

The cause of Mr. Hovey's objecting to these materials 

10* 



262 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

being at the bottom is the very reason why I place them 
there. He thinks it will draw the roots from the in- 
fluence of the sun and air. I think it will prevent them 
from going so deep as to be out of this influence ; and at 
a medium depth, they will be less exposed to the changes 
of the weather, and enjoy a more equal temperature, as 
well as be less liable to suffer from drought. 

Mr. Hovey covers his border, after planting, with a 
little coarse manure, and, if the weather prove dry, he 
waters the border. 

In April, before the manure, which was put on to pro- 
tect the roots, was dug in, ten or fifteen pounds of guano 
was spread over it. 

In June, the border was mulched with coarse manure 
and watered. The 30th of June, after refreshing rains, 
which had washed this manure, and soaked its juices 
down amongst the roots of the vine, the " grapes swelled 
their berries very fast," showing conclusively the benefit 
of the manure. All Mr. Hovey 's statements go to prove 
the value of a rich border. His border, it is true, has no 
beast, in its original form, therein, but it is composed of 
the top soil (the cream) of an old pasture, stable manure, 
and ground bones, (this last material, I think, should 
come under the head of quackery^ particularly as, in the 
ground matter, much of it comes immediately into ac- 
tion,) with the addition of the guano as a top-dressing. 
The soil was new, and was well manured with substances 
in which it is well known the grape will flourish, and the 
vines were not planted near together ; they were in a fine 
house and undoubtedly judiciously treated ; and, if the 
plan of adding strong stimulating manures, such as 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 253 

guano, bone-dust, or the carcasses of animals, perfectly 
decomposed, (I do not care which, the effect, in either 
case, will be the same,) be continued from year to year, 
I see no reason why they should not continue to prosper. 
The border can, at any time, be made wider, if necessar3^ 
If these applications are omitted, I have no doubt that, 
in a few years, the fruit would deteriorate. In the bor- 
der prepared with the materials of oyster shells, bones, 
dead horses, cattle, and slaughter-house manure, as de- 
tailed in my plan, the vines, if well treated in the gra- 
pery, would continue to fruit well for fifty years or more, 
without the application of guano, etc., or liquid manure, 
the application of which is quite as offensive as any of 
the prohibited articles ; and guano, if dissolved in water, 
and suffered to remain exposed to the heat and sun in 
the grapery, is more so than any substance I have recom- 
mended, proving that it contains all these disagreeable 
materials, if you choose to bring them into action, and 
select that time to apply them to the border. Any one 
may satisfy himself of the truth of this assertion, by 
taking a few ounces of the guano and mixing it with a 
quart of water and exposing it as above named. If this 
is the case, all the bad effect of strong manures upon the 
flavor of the fruit must follow the use of this substance 
as well as of the before-named. That it does have this 
effect, I do not believe. Before these substances will be 
used to nourish the vine, they must be chemically 
changed ; before this is done, tliey are a poison ; and, if 
in sufficient quantity, will destroy life in the roots which 
are exposed to them. It may be said that guano is al- 
ready changed ; that it has laid exposed for years to the 



254 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

weather. It is not so changed but that it may be still 
more so, and it is yet capable of fermenting and heating. 
It is not unusual to find parts of, and even whole, birds, 
more or less decomposed in it. 

It is no objection to the use of any substance, as a ma- 
nure, that there is a certain time or stage in its decom- 
position when it is offensive. It is so with any substance ; 
and if you choose first to bring the material into this 
state and then to apply it, it is your own fault. Even leaves 
and the young shoots of the vines, if allowed to ferment 
and become putrid in a tank, are as much so as any ma- 
nure ; and when the liquid from these is applied to the 
roots of the plant on the inside of the house, there is 
nothing more offensive, or that retains the odor so long. 
But this is no evidence that the liquid is injurious, or 
any reason why it should not be used, but it is a hint to 
the cultivator to apply it before it becomes thus ofiensive. 

Mr. Hovey uses, in his border, the richest soil or loam, 
and adds stable manure, ground bones, and guano, with 
liquid applications in seasons of drought, in summer, 
after mulching the border. 

I use a good loam, with a large supply of whole bones 
and other manures, but also a good portion of shells and 
old bricks and mortar, and do not apply liquid or liquid 
manures to vines thus situated. Thus, it appears that, if 
the one has a rich border, the other does not difier mate- 
rially from it. 

To make this discussion of any benefit to the practical 
gardener, it is necessary that he should read the whole 
matter and hear both sides, and judge for himself what 
is best for this purpose. I have quoted all the articles 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 255 

from tho Chronicle, and, to express my own opinion upon 
the question raised, I have appended notes to the differ- 
ent suggestions, as occasion seemed to require. 

'' Questions for Vine Growers. — Being near the resi- 
dence of a celebrated grape-grower, (whose name it is 
unnecessary to mention,) I had a great desire to pay him 

a visit. I learned, how^ever, that Mr. was not at 

home, but was invited by an assistant to look round the 
])lace. We proceeded directly to the vineries, in which 
I found the vines healthy and vigorous ; they were old 
established vines, and were producing a very full crop, 
particularly some Cannon Hall Muscats. Proceeding 
onward, however, to some newly erected houses, in which 
the vines had been planted last February, I found the 
young shoots all dead for eight and ten inches back, and 
Bome even more; and, for the cause of this calamity, I 
could not obtain a satisfactory explan-ation, the blame 
being laid upon the sheet glass wdth which the houses 
were glazed. Upon inquiring of what the borders con-^ 
sisted, I was told that they had received a large admix- 
ture of dead carcasses, such as those of deer, horses, 
&c., and of bones. On more recent inquiry, I was also 
informed that the death of the young shoots was caused 
by the flue running four times through the back walls ; 
but I know of no case of this kind ever having occurred 
before." (The writer then says, neither the glass nor the 
flues can be the cause of it.) He adds, " I conclude the 
malady has arisen from putreftiction in the border ; for, 
while these carcasses are in a putrescent state, noxious 
matters must arise, which have proved a baneful stim.u- 
lant to the tender roots. I feel interested in the case, 



256 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. \ 

} 

and shall take it kind should any correspondent furnish * 
me with an opinion on the subject. If the evil origi- j 
uated from carrion, (as in all likelihood it has,) writers of i 
treatises would do well to first prove its good effects be- 
fore they so highly recommend such matters to the ; 
-puhlicy—Bolert Elliott, Horn's Castle, Nov, "lUli, 1S47. j 

" (We have always discountenanced the use of carrion ! 

in this manner. The vines are probably poisoned." — I 

Editorial remarks.) — Gardeiiers'^ Chronicle^ 1847, 2^^9^ \ 

798. 1 

At the rooms of the London Horticultural Society, ; 

December, 1847, were exhibited from probably the \ 

above gardens, (by Mr. Koberts,) Muscat of Alexandria, | 

and two other sorts of grapes, for which the Banksian I 
medal was awarded.* 

Robert Errington, of Oulton, recommends covering \ 

the grape border with barn-yard manure two feet deep, '• 

over the whole extent of it in the month of October. ; 

Mr. Roberts objects to this at that season of the year, and j 

says it should not be done until the time of forcing ap- i 

proaches. Mr. Errington " is a great opponent to the \ 

burying of carcasses, or any part of them, in borders," ,. 

and refers to the remarks of Mr. Elliott, and attributes , 

the injury of the vines to this cause ; but it does not ap- -■ 

pear that he was personally knowing to the facts as stated ■ 
by Mr. Elliott. 

" Vine Culture. — On looking over the Chronicle, of ' 

* That Mr. Roberts, and the vineries under his care, were the subjects 1 

referred to in the above communication, has since been denied ; but no one i 

can censure him for applying the article to himself, particularly when the i 

concluding sentence is considered. ; 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 257 

December 4th, I noticed a communication from a Mr. 
Robert Elliott, headed, ' Questions fur Yine Growers,' 
and, as I am evidently the person he alludes to, I beg 
to offer a few remarks on his visit to Rabj, if he, indeed, 
visited Raby at all ; for the wbole of my men disclaim 
all knowledge of ever having shown this Mr. Elliott 
through the place in my absence. From the remarks 
he makes respecting the vines here, I assure your readers 
that I should not have troubled myself to refute him, had 
I not had a work before the public, from the following 
of which, to the letter, I have had unerring success ; and, 
if I cannot convince your readers that the greater part 
of Mr. Elliott's letter is a tissue of falsehoods, I will 
suffer my treatise to fall as my contemporary's brick 
pillars have done." 

Ill reference to the vines in the old houses looking well, 
and having good crops, as stated by Mr. Elliott, Mr. 
Roberts says, that it is owing to the disbudding and top- 
dressing the border with carrion, &c., and, wherever 
practicable, applying heat to the roots. He then goes on 
as follows : — 

" ' Proceeding onward, however,' Mr. E. remarks, ' to 
some newly erected houses, in which the vines had been 
planted last February, I found the shoots all dead for 
eight and ten inches back, and some even more ; and, for 
the cause of this calamity, I could not obtain a satisfactory 
explanation, the blame being laid upon the sheet glass 
with which the houses were glazed.' 

"Now, in this range, during February and March, 
there were planted, inside and outside, upwards of one 
hundred and thirty vines, chiefly small plants, and through 



258 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

the whole range, when he saw them, (if he ever did see 
them,) there were nottliirtj vines stopped at the points of 
the shoots, as he descriiies, and those so stopped are entire- 
ly confined to the roof vines planted outside, which is my 
favorite method of planting. As to the glass being in- 
jurious, this is rather a grave question, which ought to 
be guardedly advanced. But I, in a great measure, 
believe in the purport of Mr. Spencer's letter to the 
Clironicle some time ago, though it was stated that the 
glass was not in fault. I warn my brethren and amateurs 
to be guarded as to the too free nse of it. 

" ' Upon inquiry,' continues Mr. E., ' of what the 
borders consisted, I was told they had received a large 
admixture of dead carc:isses, such as those of deer, horses, 
&c." and, in the remarks appended to Mr. E.'s letter, the 
editor says, ' We have always discountenanced the use 
of carrion in this manner. The vines are probably poi- 
soned.' 

" It may, perhaps, be in your recollection, and I dare 
say in that of many of your readers, that a collection of 
grapes was submitted by me, in September, 1841, to the 
Horticultural Society, which was the produce of young 
vines. The borders in which they grew^ contained car- 
rion, &c., as detailed in my treatise ; and until I find 
the specimens then sent superseded, I will still carry out 
and recommend the use of carrion wdien it can be ob- 
tained. But how can your position be tenable, wdieu I 
tell 3^ou that the vines mentioned by Mr. E. are not 
planted in carrion, and that no carrion has been near 
them, not one horse carcass, nor a portion of one, is buried 
in the whole of mj new borders, which are extensive ? 



THE CULTUEE OF TPIE GRAPE. 259 

I was sorrj at the time I made them, tliat it was not in 
my power to avail myself of that pabulum to produce the 
nectar of Bacchu.-^. All the carrion, of any description, 
they contain, would not have made one load for a Shet- 
land pony, and most of that was reduced, in order that it 
might give out immediately nutritious food to the vines, 
young as they were when planted, had it been placed 
within their reach ; but it was not. In notices to corre- 
spondents, it has been stated that my method of preparing 
borders was good, but too much azotised.'^ The vine 
borders at Bishop's Stortford, are stated to be gorged 
with manure and flesliings of skinners and tanners, and 
no caution is given regarding the too free use of azotised 
manure, wdiich is the basis of good cultivation. An 
immoderate use of such azotised manures, as a thorough 
mixture through the soil, will be far more likely to prove 
poisonous to vines in their infant state, and far more 
injurious than anj-thing I have yet offered to the public 
as essential to the good culture of the vine. But if I 
was not able to add carrion, except in a very limited 
degree, at the time ni}^ borders v,^ere made, I may men- 
tion that I fell in with a goodly lot last winter, part of 
whicli has been added as a top-dressing this autumn, 
and I intend in future to apply it to that purpose. I 
am so cautious that the least particle should not be 
wasted, that I hoard it up as a miser would his gold. I 
hope the matter is here set at rest as regards carrion 
poisoning vines. ' On more recent inquiry,' says Mr. 



* Azote or nitrogen ; — tliis gas exists in all animal substances, and iu 
such plants as putrefy with an animal odor, such as cabbage and mushroom. 



260 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Elliott, 'I was also informed that the death of the yonng 
shoots was caused by the flue running four times through 
the back wall. All this Mr. Roberts denies.' I beg to 
tell Mr. E.j when my treatise appeared before the public, 
I had proved the value of carrion, and I have been in the 
habit of using it for twenty years back, the results pro- 
duced by which have been surprising and permanent." 

" My new borders are formed and composed of mate- 
rials nearly to my wish, with only two exceptions : there 
is too little carrion with too great a portion of another 
constituent in the soil, in excess, but I hope to be able 
to subdue this last to my mind. With the above excep- 
tions, I am convinced from what little I have made the 
habit of the vine my study, that the border contains 
what is required for its perfect development and fruit- 
fulness, etc." — James Roberts^ Baby Castle^ December \Z^ 
1847. 

" (We cannot find that Mr. Elliott has said one word 
about Raby in his letter. Had he done so, we should 
have waited for further information before we inserted 
it." — Editor's remarks.) — Gardener's Chronicle^ 1847, 
jpage 837. 

" One of the best modern writers on the vine is Mr. 
"Roberts, now gardener to the Duke of Cleveland, at 
Raby. His Treatise on Yine Culture contains more 
really good advice, and sensible suggestions as to the 
way in which this plant should be managed in vineries, 
than all the English books of routine, which had been 
previously published, put together. His success as a 
grape grower, while gardener to Mr. Matthew Wilson, at 
Eshton Hall, was a brilliant example of the general 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 261 

BOimdness of his principles. A large silver medal, which 
was awarded by the Horticultural Society, to some 
bunches of gra})es, exhibited September Tth, 1841, suffi- 
cientl}^ attested the advantage of his practice; nur were 
they a picked sample, but a fair gathering from the 
vineries under his care, as we happen to know on the 
very best authority. 

'' It is therefore with no ordinary reluctance that wo 
venture to question a part of the system which Mr. Rob- 
erts advocates. We allude to the employment of carrion 
in his vine borders.^ In a letter which we published 

* The improper use of the word "carrion" by Mr. Roberts has been the 
cause of this controversy or discussion, so far as the English writers have 
participated in it. In his rules for making the border, he calls it by this 
name, when be is giving directions to have the substance procured. In 
placing it in the border, he adds, " Not bringing it to the surface within 
one foot, as its assistance is not wanted the first year." Thus it will be 
seen, that it is not putrefying flesh, carrion, that he gives to the vine as 
food, but the decomposed matter and the bones, which may be properly 
termed a manure, composed of loam, or soil, and decayed animals. An- 
other error, I think, oi Mr. Roberts, is, his not directing that this flesh of 
animals be used when fresh and sweet, and the disagreeable consequences 
attending the removal of it, as described by him, would be avoided. If it 
must be collected, before making the border, then let it be done a sufficient 
length of time before removal, to insure its decomposition. What that time 
may be will depend upon the climate and the season of the year. Near 
the equator, a few weeks would be ample time for even the bones to de- 
compose. In England, it would probably require the whole summer for 
the flesh and sinews to dissolve. At my garden in Salem, Massachusetts, 
a very fat hog, that had died from excessive heat, in August, was placed 
just under the ground, and covered with the soil, with the intention of re- 
moving and scattering the remains on the border in the fall. In sixty or 
seventy days, the place was opened, and not a bone even could be discov- 
ered. The only vestige of animal remains that could have been part of the 
creature were some teeth, and they may have been in the soil before. The 
rapid decay in this case, no doubt, was owing to the excessively tat condi- 
tion and age of the hog, which was only six or eight months. 



262 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 

last week, he states liis conviction that this sort of ma- 
nnre is of the lirst degree of importance. After men- 
tioning that, in his new vine borders, not one horse car- 
cass, nor a portion of one, is buried, he expresses his 
regret that, at the time he made them, it was not in his 
power to avail himself of that ' j^abnlum to produce the 
nectar of Bacchus.' ' But,' he adds, ' if I was not able 
to add carrion, except in a very limited degree, at the 
time my borders were made, I may mention that I fell 
in with a goodly lot last winter, part of which has been 
added as a top-dressing this autumn, and I intend in 
future to apply it to that purpose. I am so cautious 
that the least particle should not be wasted, that I hoard 
it up as a miser would his gold.' 

" This is perfectly consistent with the directions which 
Mr. Roberts has given in his treatise." 

[For these, see Mr. Eoberts's border ; it is unnecessary 
to repeat them here.] 

" It cannot be denied that this is a process which must 
not be called inviting. Has it any disadvantages ? Has 
it any advantages ? These are both very important 
branches of inquiry. It may be alleged that it can have 
no disadvantages, because the magnificent grapes, above 
referred to, were obtained by it. But we are ignorant of 
the history of those vines since 1841, and this point it 
would be desirable to have elucidated. In tlie next 
p>lace, it appears to us that the introduction, into vine 
borders, of pasty masses of matter, such as result from 
the use of carrion, is at variance with the first principles 
of vine cultivation, the truth of which was known even 
to the Komans. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 263 

A free loose earth is loJiat the vines dem.and, 

Where wind and frost have help'd tlie lab'rer's hand 

And sturdy peasants deep have stirr'd the land. 

*' This was the maxim of Yirgil, and all theory and 
experience prove its value. Then there are the gaseous 
results of decomposition, whose putrid odors render vine 
borders, constructed on Mr. Eoberts's plan, so intolerably 
disgusting. Can any one seriously believe that such an 
agency is desirable? That it is even suitable ? Certainly 
we are not among the number. It is perfectly well 
known that azotised manures in a state of high concen- 
tration, are injurious or destructive to vegetable life ; as 
is proved sufficiently by the effect of certain animal mat- 
ter, -when thrown upon grass land ; or as we have just 
now evidence of before our eyes, in the form of a large 
oak tree which was almost killed a few years ago, in con- 
sequence of the contents of an old cesspool having been 
dug into the ground about its roots. It is only when di- 
luted that such manures acquire the high value which 
belongs to them. But it is not alone by their direct ac- 
tion, that they affect plants injuri()usly ; the putrid gases 
which they give out, are destructive to the young stems 
and foliage of plants, in proportion to their strength ; 
such gases are, up to a certain point, absolute poisons, 
although, below tliat point, they are nutritious. It is not 
very long since, that plants, in a small greenhouse, w^ere 
almost destroyed in consequence of a dead hedge-hog 
having been allowed to putrefy in it; and it appears, 
from Mr. Roberts's statement, that some of his young 
vines, about thirty, are dead at the ends ; those thirty 
being ' entirely confined to the roof vines planted out- 



26-i: THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

side,' precisely those wbicli the light gaseous products of 
the rotten carrion, used in neighboring borders, though not 
in their own, would be most likely to affect. Mr. Roberts, 
however, is not inclined to refer the bad condition of his 
vines to any such cause ; but he hints at the glass being 
possibly in fault. He also refers to Mr. Nash's admirable 
vine borders at Bishop's Stortford, which ' are stated to 
be gorged with manure, and fleshings of tanners and 
skinners,' and compares them, as we understand him, 
with his own. But, in truth, there is no analogy. ]!!Tot 
a particle of carrion was employed there. Such animal 
matters as skin, hair, and trimmings of hides, decompose 
very slowly, and are not carrion any more than bones 
are. It is the animal matter which rapidly becomes pu- 
trid, and passes off in clouds of poisonous gas, that ren- 
ders carrion, properly so called, objectionable. 

" The vine-dressers of France object to manure alto- 
gether. Yirgil, to be sure, recommends it in some lines, 
which should be committed to memory by every young 
gardener : — 

Next : when you layers in your vineyard make, 
Mix some rich dung, and shells and pebbles break, 
Spread the good soil with lib'ral hand around, 
And trench them deeply in the lightened ground ; 
Superfluous moisture thus glides througli the earth, 
And healthy vapors aid the tender birth. 

" Ko doubt, these are wise maxims. "No modern dis- 
covery is at variance with them ; on the contrary, they 
are confirmed by the experience of the most intelligent 
cultivators. The whole aim of the poet is to inculcate 
the necessity of keeping the soil loose. Dung may be 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 265 

used, be sajs, but tben you are to mix it witb shells and 
broken pebbles, the object of which is to secure the con- 
stant openness of the soil. 

" On the other hand, Chaptal, the best French writer 
on the vine, discourages the use of manure. 

" ' The same reasons,' he says, ' may be used against the 
system of the vine-growers of the north, w^ho think it 
advantageous to manure their vines. By this means, 
indeed, they obtain larger crops, and more wine, but it 
is of bad quality, it will not keep ; and its smell often 
reminds one^ when dranh^ of the disgusting sicbstances 
which j^Toduced it. Manure communicates to the vine 
too much nourishment. The nutritious juice, reduced to 
gas, and received by the mouths of the capillary roots, 
and by the air-vessels of the leaves, penetrates and circu- 
lates in the sap- vessels, forms the wood of the plant, and 
furnishes the substance out of which the shoots, leaves, 
flowers, and fruit are developed ; the more abundant the 
nutritive matter, the more the diameter of the vessels dis- 
tends, the more rapid is the circulation of the saj), be- 
cause the channels through which it passes have more 
capacity. This causes the sap to circulate in a less state 
of elaboration, the result of which must be, that the wine 
is flat, insipid, and destitute of all the principles of alco- 
hol. Nevertheless., the abundant crop thus obtained^ and 
the brilliant vegetation^ are., after all., in some measure 
decejytive^ foe they can be but tkansitoky. In vine- 
yards wliere manuring is jDractised, they only manure once 
in ten years. It is not to be doubted, that the effect is 
very remarkable the first three or four years after the 

manuring of the vines, but^ in the succeeding years., the 
12 



266 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

plants hegin to languish / no longer finding that abund- 
ance of nourishment to which they have been accus- 
tomed, they suffer in consequence, and often fall victims 
to the want of it. Thus a part of the plants are lost, 
either by too much or too little nourishment. But vines 
can receive, and it is often advantageous to give them, 
such manure as will make good the poverty of the soil, 
its exhaustion, or what is required otherwise for this sort 
of cultivation. No manure suits vines better than what 
is properly called vegetable earth, obtained by the de- 
composition of plants. Mosses, leaves, and turf, mixed 
together, thrown up in great heaps, and left for about 
two years to ferment, make the very best manure of this 
sort. — (Traite sur la Culture cle la Vigne^ i., 333.) 
[Further extracts from Chaptal may be found under the 
head of manures.] 

" We will not say that these maxims are exactly appli- 
cable to English vine-growing ; we seeking fine bunches 
of grapes, the French requiring juice of fine quality ; and 
we are, therefore, ready to concede the value of manure 
of a proper description. Nevertheless, although we fully 
grant this, we are not the less of opinion, that the effect 
of manure on vines is overrated, and we will take the 
liberty to quote Mr. Eoberts's own Eshton grapes in our 
support. He says, ' it may be in your recollection, and 
in that of many of your readers, that a collection of 
grapes was submitted by me in September, 1841, to the 
Horticultural Society, which was the produce of young 
vines. The borders in which they grew contained car- 
rion, &G.5 as detailed in my treatise, and, until I find 



r 


u 


12 " 


2 


a 


5 " 


2 


a 


15 " 


1 


C( 


11 " 


2 


C( 


7 " 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 267 j 

the specimfMS then sent superseded^ I will still cany out ] 
and recommend the use of carrion, when it can be had.' 
" "We find that the weight of grapes exhibited on this 
occasion, was as follows, one bunch in each case : — 

Canon Hall Muscat, - - 2 lbs. 3 oz. \ 

White E'ice, 

Black Hamburgh, - - - 

Black Prince, 

Black Damascus, - 

Black Morocco, 
and the bunches were beautiful. But we have also be- 
fore us, the following memorandum, to be found in the 
' Journal of the Horticultural Society,' vol. 11, p. 303. 

" ' On the twenty-first of August, 1847, the vice-secre- 
tary received from Mr. Abel L. Gower four bunches of 
grapes ; one a Muscat of Alexandria, weighing two 
pounds nine ounces, and the others Black Hamburghs, 
weighing, respectively, two pounds nine ounces, three 
and a half pounds, and five pounds. The Black grapes 
were rather deficient in color, but of very large size, and 
excellent quality.' 

" ISTow it will be observed, that the smallest of these 
bunches weighed more than Mr. Boberts's Black Ham- 
burgh, and the largest more than twice as inuch. And 
how did Mr. Hutchinson, the gardener at Castle Mal- 
gwyn, obtain them ? By carrion, or any such violent 
and disgusting materials ? J^ot at all. He states that 
the compost ' used in the formation of the border, was 
hazelly loam with its turf, three parts, and one part 
brick, lime rubbish, and broken stones, with a little rich 
old dung, the turf well rotted, and the whole well incor- 



268 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

porated ; the borders are forked up and watered with 
liquid manure once a year.' 

••'Mr. Roberts will thus see that his fine Eshton grapes 
are 'superseded;' are, in fact, beaten by specimens 
more than twice as good, and that by the use of simple, 
inoffensive means, w^iich, moreover, do not render a gar- 
den more pestilent than a London churchyard, and so 
dangerous to health, that it w^ould be infallibly indicted, 
if it existed w^ithin the reach of any sanatorj^ regulations. 
Should Mr. Roberts remain unconvinced by these argu- 
ments, we would, at least, endeavor to persuade him to 
defer the use of carrion till the coming cholera shall 
have quitted us." — Gardeners' Chronicle^ 1847, p. 851. 

In the Chronicle of January 1st, 1848, page 5th, is a 
denial of Mr. Robert Elliott, of any allusion to Mr. Ro- 
berts, or the vines at Raby Castle, in his article quoted 
as from this paj)er, page 798, fur 1847. 

" Mr. Roberts did not leave Eshton Hall till May six- 
teenth, 1844. I went on the fifteenth of the same month, 
and found the vines in a good growing state, with plenty 
of grapes on them, and they still remain in good con- 
dition. I have, on the rafters thirty-four vines and on 
the back wall thirty, in all sixty-four vines, each of 
w^hich produces, yearly, twenty pounds of grapes.^ My 

* I have often been asked, why I hmit the crop of grapes for the vine, 
at twenty-five pounds. English writers upon the subject speak of much 
larger crops, we find ; and, even by your own account, the Hampton Court 
vine ripens its two thousand bunches. This is all true, but it is no reason 
why your vines, which have been planted only three feet apart, and are 
allowed less than eighteen inches on each side of the main shoot for its 
branches and fruit, should carry the crop that the Hampton Court vine 
does, which has a great space of soil for the roots to roam in, and the 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 269 

plan is, not to allow a vine to bear more than twenty 
bnnclies of grajDes, which swell finely, and we might 
travel a long way ere we met with vines to match those 

roof of an entire house, seventy feet long, and proportionately wide, for 
the branches to ramble over. Again, this vine, and some others, men- 
tioned under the head of remarkable vines, are exceptions to the general 
bearing of the foreign kinds of the grape, favorably affected by some 
peculiarity in their location, which it is not likely will be the case with the 
vines in your graperj'-. Perhaps the difference in the amount of fruit 
produced may not be so great as you suppose. If I am correct in the 
length of the house for the Hampton Court vine, which produces the tv/o 
thousand bunches, the same length of house would contain, by my system, 
twenty-three vines, and twenty-five pounds each vine would produce five 
hundred and seventy-five pounds. The same number of vines on" the back 
wall would produce, if well managed, certainly half this amount, or a total 
of eight hundred and sixty -two pounds of grapes, the quality of which 
could not well be surpassed. The two thousand bunches on the Hampton 
vine, at the time I saw them, would not average more than half a pound 
each, or one thousand pounds. I have seen it stated, that this vine has 
produced one ton of two thousand two hundred and forty pounds of 
grapes in a season. This may be so, but of the quality of this fruit we 
know nothing. I am endeavoring to show what a vine will do, every year, 
if treated as directed. In saying that twenty-five pounds is all that a viner 
should be allowed to bear, I do not wish to be understood as meaning that 
a vine cannot, under any circumstances, occasionally produce a much larger 
quantity ; the account I so soon give of the vine at Hampton Court bear- 
ing such a crop, is proof enough that I hold no such opinion. What I 
presume to be wanted of a vine is, a certainty (as near as human agency 
can effect this,) of a liberal and annual crop of fruit, in quality as rich as 
it can be grown under the circumstances of situation, &c. This, I believe, 
can be obtained by the system recommended and adopted by myself; and 
I can assure my readers, . that they will, after a few years of experience, 
agree with me in the opinion, that twenty-five pounds of such fruit on 
ever}'" vine, (favorably situated,) for many successive years, is not a bad 
crop. On the back wall, or under circumstances not admitting of a full 
crop, the judgment of the cultivator must be exercised in ascertaining what 
is the proper amount in these cases ; it V\'ill, probably, range from five to 
fifteen pounds. 

Py limiting the crop to this weight, I do not adhere strictly to just tins 
amount ; it would be absurd to attempt it. Pefore thinning the berries, I 



270 THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

at Eshton. I have this year, obtained eleven prizes for 
grapes, at three shows, and, last year, seven prizes at two 
shows. In fifteen years, I have received sixty-four prizes 

reduce the number of bunehes to what I suppose, if well filled out, would 
make this weight. It would be useless, if after the estimated weight had 
ripened its seed, and it was ascertained that, from the vigor of the vine, the 
bunches would swell and exceed the amount required, to cut off the excess 
now. When the grapes have thus perfected their seed, and are swelling 
off and changing color rapidly, and the bunches are larger than was ex- 
pected, to lessen this excess of quantity, if it can be done without injuring 
the bunch, I thin out the berries still more, that all the nourishment may 
be thrown into those remaining. The effect of this treatment will be to 
keep the vine in perfect health and vigor. If, under these circumstances, 
the bunches and berries swell beyond my calculations, and the weight of 
fruit produced exceed the rule, there is no harm done, for the vine, from its 
strong condition, has produced this result. I have thirty pounds, and 
perhaps more, on a few vines, at this moment ; the bunches whicii I 
thouglit would -weigh one pound exceeding this weight considerably ; but 
some other vines have less than the allowance. ISTor do I expect any loss 
of crop next year, in consequence; for, had the vines not been in 
superior condition, and able, without weakening them, to have done this, 
the berries would not have swollen in the manner they have, and tlio 
twenty-five pounds would have been the yield. If the vines had been 
just coming into bearing, and six or ten pounds the required amount, I 
should have been very careful to avoid an over crop. Strengthen your 
vines during the first five or six years of their growth, after planting in 
your border, by not allowing them to produce heavy crops, and keep them 
over after in this condition of strength, by aiming for a moderate yield of 
fruit. By so doing, your plants will be in the state to afford this nourish- 
ment, and the bunches will enlarge to an extent that will surprise you ; 
on the other hand, if they are over-cropped, they will (may they have been 
ever so promising at the beginning of the summer,) remain with the berries 
small and loose, and entu'ely surpassed in weiglit and every desirable qua- 
lity, by the neighboring vine, whose bunches, in the earlier part of the 
season, were cast quite into the shade by these. 

By the statements of gardeners, who have given accounts of the crops 
they have produced on their vines, it wo\ild be supposed that fifty pounds 
was an average yield, (I am of opmion, that the weight in these cases, 
was estimated, not real.) Admitting this weight to be real, then the yield 
from the seventy feet house, (the vines planted as is customary in England, 
10* 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 271 

for grapes. Mr. Roberts and I do not .essentially differ 
in the treatment of the vine. I agree with the maxims 
laid down in his book, with one exception, viz., the car- 
four feet apart,) would be, on the rafters and back wall, twelve hundred 
and seventy-five pounds, about one third part more than would be pro- 
duced by my plan. If, as stated above, my vines are capable of producing 
a larger crop, the berries and bunches will svv^ell proportionably, and the 
average will be greater, bringing the difference to less than one fourth part. 
The vine trained as the Hampton Court one would cover all the glass, 
and it would be useless to attempt to grow grapes on the back wall ; the 
wood would not ripen sufficiently, and, in consequence, would not produce 
fruit. If space were left for the sun to shine on the waU and to ripen the 
wood, the crop would be lessened in proportion, on the rafter trellis. Mr. 
Cherry (see his statement of the vines, at Eshton Hall,) limits Ms crop, per 
vine, to twenty pounds on an average, back and front vines alike. His ob- 
ject, unquestionably, is, to produce high-flavored fruit, and he is the only 
English gardener, that I remember to have read, that speaks of so small an 
amount, and whose practice, in this respect, makes any approach to the 
product of the vine in the most famous districts of grape culture, on the 
continent of Europe. I have, sometimes, when a vine lias been over-luxu- 
riant, allowed it to ripen one hundred bunches, to check its excessive 
growth, and with the desired effect ; but this was vnth the very strong 
growing kinds, as Yerdelho and Black Portugal ; it would liave been se- 
riously injurious to most varieties. Frequently, I have been requested to 
go and see vines loaded with fruit, and have found forty or fifty largo 
bunches on a young vine ; they were always looking well until after the 
seeding time, and then came the shrivel and shanking, and another disease, 
the effect of over-cropping, in which the berries have a soft, cold feeling when 
touched, just as they do when shrivelled, but no appearance of this on the 
stems. The fate of these grapes has always been similar, the loss of two 
thirds or three quarters of the fruit, with scarcely a decent bunch. In 
Hovey's Magazme of Horticulture, vol. 4, New Series, at the 2*7 7th page, 
is an article on the grape, taken from the Gardeners^ Journal, 1848, p. 182, in 
which the writer's object was, as he states, to do justice to a Mr. Gerrie's 
good management of the vine. As I am a disbeliever in the vines annually 
producing forty or fifty, or, as some writers say, sixty and eighty pounds of 
fruit, for any length of years, — and as this gentleman furnishes one of these 
wonderful stories, and also supplies the facts contradicting his own state- 
ments, and, at the same time, gives confirmation to my opinion expressed 
before, that these weights are, usually, by estimation, and not by actual 



272 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

rion. For a border, I like fresh sods, and dung in a 
fresh state, say six cart-loads of good sods, one cart-load 
of leaf mould, and one cart-load of horse-droppings. 

balance, and will show to the inexperienced in these matters, how easily 
people may be deceived, when they do not calculate for themselves, and 
how readily such a statement, after once being in print, is circulated with- 
out examination, — I shall quote a large part of it here : — 

''Both houses were planted in March, 1846. The vines grew finely the 
first season, making strong wood, short-joined, and well ripened ; they were 
pruned to about half the length of each rafter. Forcing was commenced 
in both houses, on the tenth of February, 1841. I saw them in August 
following, and a finer crop, or better fruit, I never witnessed, as far as they 
were pruned. The bunches were large, the berries well swelled, and all a 
good color, not one of them being shanked. The greatest number of 
bunches on one vine, was twenty-six, the least number, fourteen. The 
weight of the bunches was from one pound to two and a half pounds 
each ; the entire weight being nearly three hundred weight, from the thirty 
vines, with which the houses were plalited. This, your readers will say, 
was a surprising crop for the second year after planting, and so, no doubt, 
it was ; and now comes a very important question. "Was it prudent, on the 
part of Mr. Gerrie, to allow so many to remain on the first season? and was 
he justified in so doing ? The result showed that he was. The vines did 
their duty nobly. He was aware that the -material in which they grew was 
good ; the wood was strong and well matured ; and he judged, therefore, 
that he might allow them to produce the above quantity." 

Upon the propriety of fruiting vines thus early, I have expressed my 
opinion, under the proper head. It will be noticed, that this writer states, 
that the greatest number of bunches on a vine was twenty-six, the least 
number fourteen, and that the bunches weighed from one pound to two and 
a half pounds each. He then adds, the entire weight being nearly three 
hundred weight, from the thirty vines ; thirty vines, at twenty-six bunches 
each, would give a total of seven hundred and eighty bunches, and tho 
mean weight, per bunch, he gives, (one pound to two and a half pounds 
each,) is one and three quarter pounds, or, a total of thirteen hundred and 
sixty-five pounds. Again, thirty vines, at fourteen bunches ^ach, would 
give four hundred and twenty bunches, which, at the mean weight of one 
and three quarter pounds each bunch, would give a total of seven hundred 
and thirty-five pounds ; showing the crop of fruit, according to his own 
statement, as ranging between seven hundred and thirty-five and thirteen 
hundred and sixty-five pounds; and yet he says, the entire weight was 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 273 

George Cherkt, Eshton Hall." — Gardeners' Chronicle^ 
1848, p. 22. 

" It appears that wo were not far wrong, when we 
ventured to express a doubt as to the permanence of 
the vigor produced in vines, by the use of carrion, (see 
page 851, 1847.) Mr. Cherry, the gardener at Eshton 
Hall, himself objects to it, and, although he describes 
the vines there as still remaining in good condition, yet 
admits that the weight of the bunches does not now ex- 
ceed one pound on an average, yet they have been out 
of Mr. Roberts's charge for only three years. This is a 
sa'd falling oflf from two and a quarter pounds a bunch. 
That they are still in good health and very respectable 
vines, we fully believe, for they continue to be managed 
upon Mr. Eoberts's plan, which we regard as excellent, 
with the single exception of the carrion." 

" "What the effect of"^using carrion in vine borders 
really is, appears pretty clearly from the following state- 
ment, which has just reached us :" — 

about three hundred pounds, or ten pounds per vine, instead of from tv^enty- 
four and a half to forty-five and a half pounds, as by the statement of 
bunches and their weight. If the number of bunches on each vine \vn,s 
correctly stated, instead of weighing from one pound to two and a half 
pounds, they only weighed from six to twelve ounces, or the average weight 
of about half a pound each. Very small bunches indeed. As to the vines 
maturing this ten pounds of fruit, the second year, there is no improbabihty 
in that, and it is not unlikely that they may have borne respectable crops 
of fruit for several years, but I do not think they would compare with vines 
differently treated, after they were five or six years old. 

If any one should prefer to plant but one vine in a grapery, and train it 
after the manner of the Hampton Court vine, he should proceed upon the 
principle, that he was establishing a tree, to remain for centuries, and should 
not allow it to fruit until it had been planted for five or six years, and had 
become well established. I beUeve, however, that the amount of fruit ob- 
tained, would be less, annually, after waiting thus long, than by the mode 
of planting many vines. 
12* 



274 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

" Some years since, I took charge of a place where 
there were three large vineries, the grapes of which had 
entirely failed. The vines had been planted about six 
years. Upon examination, the borders proved to contain 
the carcasses of thirty fat hogs, which had died of mur- 
rain, together wdth the bodies of other stock. They like- 
wise contained three or four wagon-loads of large bones, 
and an immense quantity of woolen rags, saturated with 
oil. Upon digging into the border, I found the soil 
more like paste than any thing else, and the stench was 
so dreadful that one of the men was taken ill from the 
effects of it. Throughout the wdiole of that border, I 
found not one single fibre ; the large roots were covered 
with canker, and several large ones were eaten completely 
through. The foliage w^as very large, but sickly, the 
wood very long-jointed and watery. I commenced 
forcing one house of Black H^uburghs early ; the tem- 
perature was kept low^, with abundance of air ; the vines 
broke slow^ly and strong, but showed scarcely any fruit, 
generally throAving off a tendril instead of a bunch ; the 
other liouses were also indifferent, both in flavor and 
color, being watery, and insipid to the taste. At that 
time, I had not made the above examination. After- 
wards I added one third of old mortar and brick rubbish, 
and, having well mingled the whole, I replanted the 
vines carefully ; the result was, that, the following sea- 
son, the wood became firmer and short-jointed, and the 
crop improved, both in weight, flavor, and color. — 
E. F. G."-^ 

* E. P. G. states impossibilities ; and, to practical men, renders thereby 
his communication worthless, unless they can be accounted for as oversights. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 275 

^' With reference to manuring, a friend has lately com- 
municated to us the following interesting memoran- 
dum : — 

" When I visited the vineyards of Frontignan, I was 
much struck with the exceeding tenderness and crispness 

That the editor of the Chronicle should have thought the article of value, 
must have been because it favored his opinion relative to the use of carrion ; 
and he could not have given it a careful perusal : if he did, he overlooked 
the result of such reasoning. You might, with as much propriety, say that 
bone-dust, guano, poudrette, or any chemical combination, was bad and un- 
suitable as manure for the vine, because it would not flourish if planted in 
them, simply, or with only a small proportion of soil. According to E. E. G-., 
*■' here was a mass of thirty fat hogs, and other bodies besides, (how many 
he does not say.) three or four wagon-loads of large bones, and an immense 
quantity of woolen rags saturated with oil" (This last article of oil, unless 
used in the compost heap, and entirely decomposed before it is used, is, 
perhaps, the worst poison that can be applied to the roots of fruit trees, of 
all kinds.) Upon digging into it, according to his account, it was a mass 
of putrid matter, which would as surely destroy all life in the root of the 
vine vrhich came within its reach, as fire would destroy hfe in the- animal, 
if surrounded tliereby. In fact, it was a compost heap, piled above the 
roots of the vine. (The vines had been planted six years ; this heap of 
matter could not have been put there at that time ; for, even in England, 
two years is sufficient for the mass to have been changed.) What practical 
gardener would think of planting his vines in such materials ? Compare 
tliis mass of putrid matter with the soil, as recommended by Mr. Roberts ; 
bow very unlike they are J 

" Throughout the whole of the border, he found not one single fibre, and 
the large roots were cankered, and some of them eaten through." He does 
not state by what the roots were eaten ; whether by worms, produced in 
this putrefaction, or by the canker. This is just the condition the roots 
might be supposed to be in, that is, dead. It is impossible to cause a root 
of the vine to live in such matter, during decomposition. Thus far, there 
is reason in what K F. G. says, as to the condition of the border, and the 
state of the roots of the vines growing therein. But when he states "that 
the foliage was very large, but sickly ; the wood very loiig-jointed and 
watery," we cannot agree with him ; it cannot be ; E. E. G. must have 
(overlooked some important fact ; the roots of the vine could not, without 
spongiolos and rootlets innumerable, produce this long-jointed wood, with 



276 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, 

(if I may use the term) of the grapes there grown, as 
compared with the Muscats of our forcing-houses ; and, 
when I tasted the I^ice grape of Eaby Castle, of which 
you were so good as to send me a sample, the idea oc- 
curred to me, that the hardness of the pulp might be 
owing to excessive manuring and forcing of the vine ; 
and I thought of writing to you, to inquire if you were 
aware of any facts, in the history of vegetation, that 
would warrant such conclusion. I may mention, too, 
that this latter grape, though magnificent to the eye, 
had, to my taste, a flavor different from the ordinary 
JSTice kind, something like what the French call gout de 
terroir in wine. That this peculiarity may originate 
from the foul manure that had been given to the vine, I 
think highly probable ; and the following instance will 
show how easily the flavor of the fruit may be aflected by 
substances less offensive than carrion. M. De Chassirou 
has observed, that the wines of the Isles of Oleron and 
Ee, are of bad quality, and retain the odor peculiar to 
the sea-weeds with which the vineyards there are ma- 
large leaves. In' forcing, " the vines broke slowly, but strong, and showed 
scarcely any fruit," Here, also, is a strange statement; the vines, to do 
this, must have received abundant nourishment ; and such a condition of 
the roots, as before-mentioned by him, could not have furnished it. E. F. Gr. 
did not go deep enough into the border ; if he had, (and the vines were as 
he stated,) he then would have found, below all this mass of putrid matter, 
the roots and rootlets which furnished the sap that produced these long 
shoots and large leaves; and these roots being so deep in the soil, is the 
cause why the vines did not die from the effects of the manure, and is the 
reason they did not fruit, the wood not ripening sufficie^itly. A small part 
of this putrid matter, if it had been changed, as it should have been, in the 
compost heap, and then applied as a top-dressing, would have enticed the 
roots to the surface, and have been beneficial, instead of destroying them 
as it did. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 277 

nured. In all wine countries, where we may suppose 
the culture of the vine to be best understood, the opin- 
ion universally prevails, that fresh manure ought not to 
be used, or, if it be so, that it should be applied in th-e 
autumn, after the vintage, so as to be, in a great meas- 
ure, decomposed, and incorporated with the soil before 
the ascent of the sap, in the spring. This practice is oc- 
casionally followed in the Rheni-gau, where a strong ; 
prepossession exists in favor of manuring the vineyards,* ' 
and where small quantities of litter are spread around ; 
the roots of the vines ; but the best authors concur in 1 
recommending, that all the manure employed should be 
first duly fermented, at whatever time it maybe used." 
— Gardeners'* Clironide^ 1848, p. 19. 

"The custom of introducing carcasses into vine bor- ■ 
ders, fur the purpose of obtaining monster bunches of ■ 
flavorless grapes, has prevailed fur a considerable length ] 
of time in the neigliborhood of Leeds and Wakefield ; I 
but the vines have always, in a few years, become feeble | 
and unproductive, in consequence of the dense mass of i 
putrefied matter being unsuitable to the growth of j 
fibrous roots. G." — Gardeners' Clironide^ 1848, p. 37. 

By James Roberts, Eaby Castle. (As the remarks I 
are long, and much of it not having any practical bear- 
ing upon the question, I shall only extract such facts as ■ 
are diflerent from those already stated.) " In page 851, I 
it is stated, that the grapes I exhibited, on September \ 
7th, 1841, have been superseded by Mr. Hutchinson, ! 

* It is here admitted that, in some wine countries, manuring is allowed, i 
notwithstanding the assertion, a few lines above, to tlie coiitrar/. (Ses 1 
manuring vineyards.) ] 



278 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

gardener at Castle Malgwyn. It certainly appears that 
the Haraburghs sent were heavier, and, I have no doubt, 
others have shown heavier bunches than mine, which, 
perhaps, were not the heaviest in the Eshton range ; but, 
admitting they were, do the grapes alluded to supersede 
them as a collection ? This collection, which was exhib- 
ited in London, on the Tth September, on the 9th was 
exhibited at York, and took five first prizes. Surely 
then the grapes must have been good indeed, which, 
after receiving, I believe, the highest medal ever award- 
ed for grapes, at the society's rooms in London, travelled, 
by coach and rail, between four hundred and five hun- 
dred miles, were packed and repacked twice, and then 
competed, successfully, amongst the best fruit-growers of 
any county in England. 

" Between September 7th, 1841, and October 17th, 
1843, I was awarded, by the Horticultural Societ}'' of 
London, eight medals, six for grapes exclusively, and two 
for exhibitions in which grapes formed the principal 
fruit. It appears that Mr. Cherry agrees with my prac- 
tice of culture, with the exception of carrion ; but, if he 
has not re-made the borders at Eshton, which I am per- 
suaded lie has not, are not the vines still enjoying the 
remains of what I cmctiously offered ?" Here follow- 
some particularly correct remarks relative to the border, 
as described by E. F. G., page 274. As I have made 
my own statement concerning the materials used in this 
border, and the effect, as described, uj)on the vines, and 
as in the main we agree, it is unnecessary to quote them 
here. " In making a tour,' in the autumn of 1844, I 
called at a nobleman's demesne. After an introduction 



THE CULTURE OF THE GIIAPE. 279 

to the gardener, we entered a large vineyard, in wliicli 
was a splendid crop of Muscat of Alexandria grapes ; 
good bunches, with finely swelled berries, and beautifully 
colored. I expressed my delight at the sight, and he 
stated the means employed to bring about so desirable a 
result. The vine was worn out, and bore little ; and, he 
added, ' being possessed of your Treatise, I top-dressed, 
as recommended, and the result is what you see ; they 
have been the admiration of all who have seen them.' " — 
Gardeners^ Clironicle^ 184:8. 

" We should not treat Mr. Roberts's letter on vines, in 
our last Chronicle, with the consideration to which the 
indisj^utable skill of the writer is entitled, if we passed 
it over without remark. We are also called upon to no- 
tice it by some of the reasoning introduced into it. 

"Mr. Roberts first questions whether his carrion-fed 
vines have been excelled by others treated to a less ofien- 
sive diet. Tliat his grapes were excellent, w^e have re- 
peated over and over again ; they did the greatest credit 
to his skill, as his work on the vine does to his intelli- 
gence and knowledge of his profession. But, until he 
can show that a bunch of Hamburgh, weighing five 
pounds, is not superior to one w^eighing two pounds five 
ounces, or a bunch of Muscats, of two pounds nine 
ounces, to one of the same kind weighing two pounds 
three ounces, — and such are the differences between Mr. 
Hutchison's Castle Malgwyn grapes and those of Eshton 
Hall, — we must retain our opinion, that grapes are not 
improved by being fed on carrion. It is said that Mr. 
Hutchison's vines were seven years old, and those of Mr. 
Roberts but two ; lut we learn, by the present gardener 



280 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

at Eshtoii, that the vines there, now that they have he- 
come seven or eight years old^ only bear bunches averag- 
ing one pound. So that the carrion-fed vines are not im- 
proved by age ; and their present state is, to our minds, 
anything rather than ' conclusive as to the advantages 
to be derived from using that substance.' 

" Mr. Roberts states that some very fine grapes, seen 
by him in Cheshire, had acquired their condition by 
being tojo-dressed in the manner recommended by him. 
We find that manner explained in his Treatise, to be 'a 
light top-dressing of ground bones, loamy soil, rotten 
manure, and decayed carrion, covering the whole with 
an inch or two of half-rotten stable manure to prevent 
evaporation,' — a good appliance, no doubt. But we are 
at a loss to know what this has really to do with the 
question at issue. The use of a little horse-flesh, in a 
state of decay ^ is surely not the same thing as filling a 
border with lumps of putrid flesh. ' Adding one good- 
sized horse or cow carcass to every ten or twelve yards,' 
(Treatise,) and we certainly should not be inclined to ap- 
ply to the recommendation Mr. Eoberts's term, cautious. 
We own that to us the advice seems rather the reverse. 
But we half suspect that, after all the controversy, our 
difierence in opinion from our very clever correspondent 
turns, like many other difi'erences, upon the meaning of 
a word. What is really meant by carrion ? We under- 
stand it to be putrid flesh in the early stage of decompo- 
sition, emitting ]3utrid eflluvia not less dangerous to man 
and plants than it is offensive and disgusting. These 
early products of animal decay, be they what they may, 
are given off in such abundance for a certain time, vary- 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE. 281 

ing with temperature aod other circumstances, that they 
cannot be too cautiously guarded against ; and therefore 
carrion, in the sense in which we understand the word, 
is wholly unfit for gardening purposes. But, by degrees, 
the horrible emanations from putrid flesh are decomposed, 
or absorbed by the surrounding soil, or are lost in the 
open air, and then their dangerous quality disappears. 
In fact, decayed carrion^ that is to say, carrion which has 
lost its otfensiveness, is not carrion at all ; it consists of 
little more than bones, saline matter, and the black earth 
which is called - humus, — a very valuable substance, 
partly on account of its own action, and partly on ac- 
count of the gaseous matters which it detains among its 
pores, and parts with gradually and beneficially. It is 
old, crumbling manure. It is not to this that we, or any 
one, would object. Quite the contrary ; and we readily 
admit that, after a time, the dead horses in the vine 
borders at Eshton, ceasing to be dangerous, will become 
a potent and harmless manure. But the mischief is done 
before that time; the first stage in the growth of the 
vines has been injurious, and we doubt whether any 
amount of care will quite repair the damage. At all 
events, admitting that it may be repaired, we are still 
forced to arrive at the conclusion that the use of so offen- 
sive a material as carrion does no good, and therefore 
ought to be abandoned." — Gardeners' Clironicle^ 1848, 
p. 83. 

By J. W. Roberts^ Gardener, Wakefield^ YorlishAre. — 
" Three years ago, I gardened not two miles from Wake- 
field, where I had two vineries, which had produced 
little for years. The vines in them were nearly sixty 



282 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

years old. By permission of my employer, I re-made the 
borders. In the first place, I took the vines carefully up, 
and the border being in a very bad state, I drained it 
well, refilling it with compost, consisting of a portion of 
carrion, leaf mould, turf from a pasture, and stable ma- 
nure, and the result is, that, last year, these same vines 
produced a capital crop of well-flavored finely colored 
fruit, and made excellent wood. Surely, this speaks vo- 
lumes in favor of carrion. Is not E. F. G. mistaken, 
when he says that the vines in the neighborhood of Leeds 
and Wakefield are falling ofi"? I have lived for nearly 
twenty years in the neighborhood of Wakefield, and all 
who have used carrion here, speak in high terms of its 
favorable eflects on their vines. The use of carrion was 
first suggested to me by reading Mr. Roberts's ' Treatise 
on the Yine,' than which I know of no more valuable 
work on the subject, and for which I feel much indebted 
to its author." — Gardeners^ CJironide^ 1848, p. 102. 

A. Henderson is oj^posed to Mr. Eoberts's plan, and 
quotes Abbe Rozier, Cha23tal, M. Bosc, and other conti- 
nental authors, who, it is well known, are opposed to all 
crude manures for the vine', as proper authorities to be 
relied upon as evidence of the bad effects of them. The 
article is very long, but it contains nothing new. It can 
be found in the Gardenei'S^ Clironide^ for 1848, p. 115. 

Remarks on statements made in the discussion. — The 
first assertion by Mr. Elliott, in the communication which 
commenced the controversy, is, that he found the young 
shoots on the vines, newly planted, all dead for eight or 
ten inches. And he denies that the explanation given 
him of the cause, — the burning by the sheet glass, — can 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 283 

be the correct one, and attributes it to putrefaction in the 
border, baneful stimulants to the tender roots have arisen, 
and the eflect of such stimulants, according to this writer, 
has been to Mil the ends of the shoots. Had this suppo- 
sition been correct, that the cause was putrid matter 
from the flesh of animals coming in contact with the 
roots of the vine, I have no hesitation in asserting, from 
what experience I have had in such matters, the result 
would have been death to the vine, — the roots dying first, 
the tops, last. I have never known a vine affected in 
this manner, when there was a possibility that the rich 
soil could have been the cause ; neither do I think that, 
out of six hundred vines which I have planted under glass, 
this singular disease ever seriously affected one vine. I 
have had a few injured at the end of the cane, but it has 
always occurred on some extremely hot and bright day, 
when the very place on the skin of the shoot, which had 
been burned by a defect in the glass, could be seen. A 
new shoot from the terminal eye has invariably pushed 
and grown rapidly, showing that the cause was external, 
and not with the roots or sap. In the bright sunshine, I 
do not see any good reason why the glass might not burn 
the shoots in England as well as in the United States ; 
that it does burn here, there is no doubt ; and Mr. Hovey, 
in speaking of the exposure for the grapery, alludes to 
the necessity of having some protection from the scorch- 
ins: effects of the sun in summer, and mentions the 
whiting the glass for this purpose. It is not uncommon 
to see the young laterals, and even the main stalk of the 
bunch of fruit I have sometimes found burned, on the 
side next the glass, and so injured that I have deemed it 



284 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

best to cut it %way. That the gas, escaping from fer- 
menting manure and leaves, will destroy the foliage, I 
have stated in my remarks on Mr. Roberts's plan. 

The editor of the Chronicle states, that it is the "gaseous 
results of decomposition, whose odors render vine bord- 
ers, constructed on Mr. Roberts's plan, so intolerably dis- 
gusting." (Article extracted as from the Chronicle, 1847, 
page 851.) 

This state of the border, when prepared either by Mr. 
Roberts's plan, or my own, never can exist in fact. I 
never have discovered the least odor from any border 
after it was finished. All manures in their crude state 
are ofiensive, and, in collecting them for the border, or 
the compost heap, the person so employed must be sub- 
ject to tlie gases, be they more or less disagreeable. I 
contend that animal matter, when fresh, is less so than 
any other manure. There is an erroneous opinion formed 
of the condition of the border, founded upon the im- 
proper use of the word carrion (before noticed) by Mr. 
Roberts, when he does not in reality use carrion or re- 
commend its use until changed. 

Dr. Lindley refers to an oak tree, which had been sub- 
jected to improper treatment, by the digging into the 
soil, around and above its roots, of an undue quantity of 
powerful manure from a cess-pool, with the result, to the 
tree, (almost deatli,) which any skilful gardener would 
have expected. This gentleman certainly cannot intend 
to compare this injudicious management with the com- 
post formed from carrion and soil, and tlie manner of 
applying it^ as recommended by Mr. Roberts. For, he 
immediately adds, "it is only when diluted that such 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 285 

manures acquire the high value wliicli belongs to them, — 
a just remark, not only in relation to the manure above 
named, but to all the substances usually classed under 
this head, such as the ofFal of all animals and birds, the 
decayed matter from flesh or flsh, whether of the soft 
material which dissolves, or of the bony substances which 
are a long time in crumbling away, guano, poudrette, 
&c. 

Dr. Lindley refers to the plants in a greenhouse, that 
were almost destroyed by the gases arising from the pu- 
trefying body of a hedgehog, and thinks that is proof 
that the vines were injured at the ends of their shoots 
by the gas from the carrion. It may have been caused 
by the confined air inside of this house, w^hich prevented 
the escape of this gas. I must confess, that I think there 
may have been some other cause, that affected the plants, 
and produced the disease. In the newly settled parts of 
our country, it is customary to leave the dead bodies of 
animals unburied. I have never noticed any effect pro- 
duced upon the foliage of tree or herb from the odor or 
gas arising therefrom. In the valley of the Connecticut, 
where reside some of our best agriculturists, they ma- 
nure the land with fresh white fish, that are caught in 
great quantities, (I believe in the spring season of the 
year.) The}^ spread them broadcast over the fields, and 
any one who has ridden through this district, about tliis 
time of application, can most assuredly say that the cus- 
tom "is not inviting," and can bear ample testimony 
that the air is charged with gas from putrefying matter, 
yet we hear of no bad effect from this ; and, if a single 
hedgehog in a greenhouse would kill plants, it would aj)- 



286 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

pear probable that thousands, and tens of thousands, of 
these white fish, spread over the surface of the land, 
would affect the foliage in the fields wherein they were 
undergoing this change. 

Dr. Lindley then says, " The vine-dressers of France 
object to manure altogether^ I cannot pass this remark 
by, without a direct denial of the assertion. The gentle- 
man himself does it effectually in the quotation he brings 
forward from Chaptal, and the continuation of the sub- 
ject of manures by this French author, given under the 
head of manures for vineyards, will still farther explain 
the customs of the French. My own belief is, that the 
French manure their vineyards : that there are excep- 
tions to this, it may be. Chaptal, and other authors, are 
opposed to the custom, I admit ; but other persons, who 
write what they have seen and know, state that they are 
used. Chai^tal wishes to discourage the use of it, from 
a belief that it injures the juice of the grape ; that it in- 
creases the size of the berry, he admits, and that is what 
all are endeavoring to obtain, when cultivating for the 
table, and the plan of cultivation which will produce 
this, without injury to the amount of the crop, flavor, or 
color, of the fruit, is the best. 

Dr. Lindley is of the opinion, that the grapes shown 
by Mr. Gower, have surpassed those grown by Mr. Ro- 
berts. From the printed account of them, [ should have 
preferred to have been the one who produced the six 
kinds, named as having been shown by the latter. Three 
of these varieties usually setting poorly, all of which 
were sufficiently large, and the White Nice, (a kind that 
makes a large bunch, but a light weighing fruit,) remark- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 287 

ably so ; they were all represented as having been beau- 
tiful. Mr. Gower's, though his Hamburgh bunches were 
large, were rather deficient in color, — a want that, in my 
estimation, would make them unworthy to compete with 
the first-named. To have a correct idea of this matter, 
there should be some standard of quality to refer to. I 
do not remember ever to have met with any such. My 
opinion of the characteristics requisite to form a fine 
bunch of grapes, is, that the bunch be of medium bigness, 
"vith the berries large, of an equal size, well colored^ and 
covered with a fine bloom. Yery large bunches are not 
always so equally well flavored as lesser ones, and those 
weighing from eight ounces to one pound each, are almost 
always the best. When exhibited at horticultural shows 
however, large sized, if at the same time these be well 
colored, will invariably be considered the best. 

The border that produced the grapes, which Dr. Lind- 
ley considers superior to those raised by Mr. Roberts, is 
a very fine one, and not very unlike the compost recom- 
mended by me, to be used in a situation where it is ne- 
cessary to remove all the original soil ; but, in this border, 
they use liquid manure ; and this is universally the case, 
when the border is composed of turf, without a large ad- 
dition of bones or other manures. This application of 
an offensive liquid upon the surface of the soil is, in my 
estimation, more disagreeable than in burying it ; and 
when the rich border is properly made, rainwater is the 
only application requisite for the roots on the outside of 
the house. On the other hand, the border composed of 
loam and rotten sods, although excellent, requires this 



288 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

application of liquid manure, to cause the grapes to swell 
off large and full. 

This discussion of the subject of manures is well worthy 
the attention of cultivators. Instead of supporting Mr. 
Hovej's assertion, that experienced cultivators held the 
same opinions as he did, respecting the " quackery, so 
often recommended,'' as the use of oyster shells, or boiled 
bones, dead cattle, etc., I am rather inclined to believe, 
that the judicious use of them is advocated ; certainly, 
it is admitted, that they are promoters of vegetation. 
Chaptal even allows, that the effect of manure is to in- 
crease the growth of wood and fruit ; but, he adds, the 
effects are deceptive ; for, after a time, the manure will 
cease to act, and the vine will languish. But is not this 
failure caused by neglecting to renew the manure? 
Plant a vine in a new soil, a good loam for instance, it 
will grow well, and bear fruit for some years, but soon 
(as Chaptal says of the manured vine,) it will cease to 
bear fruit, or only in a diminished degree. Renew this 
soil by adding to it more loam or manure, either as a 
solid or liquid, and it will regain its former vigor. The 
soil must be strengthened by yearly application of suit- 
able matter. That harm is done by improper manuring, 
I have no doubt. If vines, when young, are too highly 
manured, and this stimulant is not constantly kept up, 
they will fail to do well ; and this is what I should most 
fear from Mr. Roberts's system ; not from the bodies of 
animals deposited in the border, but from the manure 
placed on the surface to produce heat. 

Dr. Lindley, if I understand his language, does not 
discourage the use of the articles named by Mr. Hovey, 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 289 

with the exception of carrion, and this only, as such, and 
not to the use of it, as I have recommended, in the for- 
mation of the border. In the hist article written bj him, 
on the subject, he sajs, " we readily admit, that, after a 
time, the dead horses in the vine borders at Eshton, 
ceasing to be dangerous, will become a potent and harm- 
less manure." By the authorities quoted, and the ap- 
proval of other systems of border compost, which con- 
tain manures in large quantities in them, I apprehend 
that Dr. Lindley, and other experienced cultivators, in 
Europe, do not diiTer widely from me, in the opinion I 
have formed, and in the practice which I have carried 
out and recommended to the public. 

It must be apparent to a thoughtful reader, that, when 
I propose a substitute, to take the place of a soil so un- 
suitable as to require removal from the place where the 
border is to be situated, that the compost named for the 
purpose must be, in my opinion, in every respect, suited 
for the welfare of the vines. Mr. Hovey, in his sweep- 
ing remarks, relative to rich borders, refers to myself, 
as recommending the use of " the carcasses of animals, 
to such an extent as to cover the bottom of the border, 
if tbey could be obtained." His statement is correct ; 
but my views would have been better understood, if 
some allusioif had been made to the substitute. My 
reasons for recommending the carcasses of animals, are 
several, — such as the durability of their bones, the ex- 
citing nature and strength of the manure formed from 
the decomposed flesh, etc., and their cheapness. In the 
fall of the year, near large cities, it is frequently easy to 

procure the bodies of horses, either dead or living, for a 
13 



290 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

mere trifle, — often they can be had free of cost, broiiglit 
to your place, and then killed, and the thanks of the 
owners to you in addition, for providing a phice of de- 
posit, near at hand, for them, which otherwise might 
occasion them some expense in their removal to a dis- 
tance, or in burying them. All bodies of animals, killed 
accidentally, or by disease, are of no value in this coun- 
try, but as manure, and when such can be had^ there is 
so much saved. On the contrary, the land that has been 
skimmed of its turf, and three or four inches of its best 
soil, (in this part of our country at least,) is almost ruined. 
It is true, you may rob your own land, but, should your 
garden be in the city, (as mine is situated,) you would 
search many an hour before the proper pasture soil could 
be obtained. Knowing these difficulties in providing 
suitable soil from a pasture, I, in the first place, gave the 
directions for the compost, with the animal carcasses ; 
and then, in giving the substitute, presumed that it 
would be understood, that I did not consider that it was 
imperatively necessary that these materials, flesh and 
all, should be incorporated into the border. That it is 
best to do so, I firmly believe. 

My first border was made in 1834, on a flooring of 
stones ; it was very rich ; much slaughter-house ma- 
nure, with many bones, were incoriDoratecf with the soil ; 
cow manure, and some lime, also, was added nearer the 
surface. This house has always had artificial heat ap- 
plied to it ; and, for the last ten years, has been forced 
in December, and has never failed to produce a crop of 
fruit. This season of 1848, the fruit was as fine as it 
ever has been ; the bunches, many of them, weighing 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 291 

one and two pounds each ; the berries were large, and 
well colored. The second border was made a few years 
after the first ; the manures nsed were similar to the 
above ; but, instead of stones, the bottom of the border 
was paved with bones, and well covered with them ; the 
vines have always done well, and ripened good crops of 
fine fruit. The third border was paved, at the bottom, 
with stones, as whole bones could not be obtained. The 
manures, in this border, were entirely from the barn- 
yard, from horses and oxen ; it was very coarse, having 
much litter and old (Indian) cornstalks in it ; the soil 
was the garden loam, which had been freely manured 
with barn-yard material; the proportion of manure 
added was one half, certainly, and perhaps rather more. 
In this border, the vines have made the most rapid growth 
of any that I have planted : but the fruit produced 
therein, although very fair and well-colored, is not large, 
the berries measuring two and a half to three and a half 
inches round, for Hamburghs ; while, in the houses, 
where bones and slaughter-house manures, or the car- 
casses of animals are added to the compost, the berries 
measure from three to four inches in circumference. 

By far the largest part of my borders were made, since 
the above, in 1843. Slaughter-house manures, bones, the 
carcasses of animals, old mortar and bricks, oyster-shells, 
horse and cow manure, old leather and loam, were added 
in considerable quantities. I have not discovered any 
reason for wishing to change the compost. At the end 
of the house, in a space used for the furnace, no manure 
was added on the outside, as the street of the city was 
here. The soil was a good yellow loam, and, on the street, 



292 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

covered with gravel. To notice the difference in the fruit- 
ing and growing of the vines, when situated in this un- 
prepared soil, as compared with the compost above, I 
planted four vines, so situated that three of them w^ould 
send their roots into the street in search of food. The 
difference has been surprising. The vines planted in the 
border have ripened three good crops of fruit ; those in 
the natural soil have not ripened a bunch, and, until this 
year, have not even set a berry. One vine, a Hamburgh, 
has, at present, a very small bunch upon it. The vines 
have been pruned and well cared for, and I have no rea- 
son to suppose that they will not eventually yield a crop 
of fair fruit ; that they will be able to bear comparison 
with the other grapes, in the same house, I do not expect. 
In 1844, having occasion to make more border, and 
having a large quantity of stable manure and old leaves, 
which had been used for covering the roots of the vines 
in winter, I thought this, if added to the soil in large 
quantities, which was also a good loam, with some small 
quantity of cow manure and bones, would insure me a 
sufficiently good compost. But it was a mistake; the 
vines grew slowly, and not more than half of them fruited 
the last season. This spring, I have enlarged the border 
very much, and added strong manure, with many whole 
bones and twenty bushels of ground ones, with one 
hundred bushels of charcoal screenings, and as much 
more old mortar and brickbats, with some consider- 
able wood-ashes mixed with them. The vines are now 
growing very well, and many, but not all of them, have 
good crops of fruit upon them. The fruit in this house 
was small and well colored. In the autumn, watering 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 293 

with liquid manure was resorted to with good eiFect, 
yet the difference was very much in favor of the border 
with the carcasses. More trials with like results, might 
be added ; however, if these have been properly stated, 
— and I am certain that my object has been to obtain 
facts, not to establish theories, — and that these trials 
have resulted as above expressed, then there can be no 
necessity for further testimony of mine, as it all tends the 
same way, and the mere repetition of the trials would be 
useless. The question now is, w^hether the experiments 
have been fairly made. I think they have ; that climate 
and other circumstances of soil and situation will vary, in 
some degree, the results of similar trials in other localities 
is very probable. 

The effect of diferciit manures in jpromoting the growth 
cf the roots of the vine. — This summer, I placed small 
glass bottles, filled with rainwater, under the stems of 
grape vines, that had roots about one and a half inches 
long on them ; they reached the water, touching it suf- 
ficiently to encourage the growth in the root ; the bottles 
were then secured in this position. In seven days, the 
roots had pushed strongly into the water. I then added 
different manures, as liquids, to the water, in a very di- 
luted state ; the object being to have the roots of the vine 
open to view, that the effect of the different manures in 
producing rootlets or spongioles could be observed. 

JSTo. 1, had a grain of guano, in the powder, added ; 
the effect of this was, that, in forty-eight hours, the root- 
lets began to put out from the sides of the root, and to 
consume the liquid. I then took a small teaspoonful of 
the guano and mixed it with half a gill of water, and, as 



294 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

tlie liquid was consumed by tlie roots in the bottle, it was 
filled up with this. After a few applications of the guano, 
the rootlets, which at first put forth and grew freely, ceased 
to grow, or to consume the liquid : they soon died, and, 
on removing the bottle, I found them in a putrid state. 
This experiment, though unsuccessful, w^as satisfactory, 
as it confirmed the opinion I had formed of this manure, 
that, when applied in a highly diluted form, it is valuable, 
and that one cannot well be too cautious in using it. 

The second experiment was simple rainwater ; the root 
in this grew very slowly, and in five or six weeks made 
only three or four inches, with four rootlets, about one 
inch long, each ; they continued to grow until removed. 

No. 3, was manured with the liquid from a teaspoonful 
of ashes from the wood of the grape, soaked in half a gill 
of rainwater ; the effect was sudden and great; and the 
roots formed so fast, that, in three weeks, there were 
thousands of feeders in the bottle, and, in bright days 
it had to be filled morning and evening ; it very soon 
used up the first quantity, and had another supply fur- 
nished ; this I cut off and planted out ; it is now a grow- 
ing plant in the border. 

'So. 4, was manured with the extract from one pound 
of cow manure, which had been under cover four years, 
and never exposed to the weather; it was as free from 
any offensive smell as the purest spring- water, and was 
prepared by steeping several days, before using, and 
was then strained into a bottle. The effect of this was 
like the above, — from the ashes : I could not perceive 
any difference. This is also a plant now growing in the 
border. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 2^5 

No. 5, was the extract of meadow muck, whicli had 
been under cover several years ; one pound of the soil, 
to which was added a very little pot-ash, was steeped in 
water several days, and strained off into a bottle, and ap- 
plied as the roots consumed the liquid. This afforded a 
suitable food, and the spongioles continued to grow and 
increase raj^idly for three weeks, when they received a 
check, and ceased growing, and were changing color; 
the bottle was removed, and the roots placed carefully 
into one filled with simple rainwater again ; this saved 
tliem, and they again began growing. The liquid, which 
had before proved too powerful, was now supplied them; 
as they consumed the water in the bottle, they grew as 
rapidly as before the check, and formed a fine, strong- 
rooted vine, which is now in the border. 

Ko. 6, was manured with the liquid drainings from the 
hog-pen ; although very much diluted, the first application 
destroyed the young roots. In renewing the trial, the 
liquid which had caused this, was used as the same ma- 
nure, still further diluted, and the effect was good ; the 
bottle was filled with roots. 

No. 7, was manured with the extract of the leaves and 
young shoots, trimmings of the grape vine ; these were 
steeped a few days, and kept warm ; when applied to the 
water in the bottles, it was quite acid. This destroyed 
life very soon, the acid being too powerful. On repeating 
the experiment, and after applying the same liquid, when 
the acidity had passed away, the roots made with vigor 
and rapidity; this formed a plant, now flourishing in 
the soil. 

No. 8, was another trial with guano, in a more diluted 



296 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

form ; it did not induce the forming of roots, as did some 
of the others. The reason of this, undoubtedly, was the 
powerful nature of this substance, which, in the exposed 
circumstances of the roots, was, in all the trials, too 
strong. 

The cow manure and ashes had the most beneficial ef- 
fect ; that is, they caused the bottles to be filled, in the 
least time, with roots and rootlets innumerable : although 
the strength of the liquid was constantly increasing, 
there did not apjDcar to be any injurious effect therefrom. 



LIST OF YAEIETIES OF GKAPES. 



The following list is recommended for planting in the 
retarding house, and in the proportions named. If the 
number of vines to be planted is greater or less than 
these, you can increase or decrease them by varieties that 
ripen late, or those of the list given in greater numbers : — 

Black Hamburgh, six vines, including with this variety 
"VYilmot's new Black Hamburgh, Victoria Black Ham- 
burgh, and the E'o. 16 Black Hamburgh. 

Muscat of Alexandria, two vines. 

Zinfindal, one vine. 

Black Lombardy or West's St. Peter's, Rye vines. 

"Wortley Hall seedling, three vines. 

Portien l^oir, three vines. 

Tottenham Park Muscat, one vine. 

Syrian, three vines. 

Black Damascus, one vine. 

Black Prince, one vine. 

Old Black St. Peter's, one vine. 

Cannon Hall Muscat, one vine. 

White Hamburgh, one vine. 

Escholata Muscat, one vine. 

White IS'ice, one vine. 

Bed Lombardy, one vine. 

Queen of Nice, one vine. 
13* 



298 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Bowker, one vine. 

Bishop, one vine. 

Black Portugal or Ferrar, one vine. 

Prince Albert, three vines. 



VARIETIES MOST VALUABLE FOR GENERAL PLANTING. 

For planting, I would recommend the different varie- 
ties of the Black Hamburgh grape as the best for the 
greatest number of vines. 

The Grizzly, the White and the Black Frontignan are 
all admired by those persons who like the Muscat flavor ; 
they are liable to shrivel, and are more delicate than 
other grapes, and do not keep well when ripe ; the 
Grizzly is the earliest of them. 

The Muscat of Alexandria is a large oval grape ; it 
does not set well under glass, anfl requires artificial im- 
pregnation ;^' it is a firm-fleshed or breaking grape, and 
when well ripened, cannot be exceeded in richness. 

The Tottenham Park Muscat is very like the above, 
but not so high flavored, it sets the berries better. 

Portuguese Muscat is like the above, but is more 
highly musk flavored. 

Chasselas de Bar Sur Aube is a fine white grape, and 
a good bearer. 

Pitmaston White Cluster has rather small berries, but 
is very early and good. 

* Otis Johnson, Esq., of Lynn, a successful cultivator of tlie grape, tJie 
past year, allowed the shoots of this variety to grow at random until the 
fruit was swelling, and he thinks the result of the experiment was favora- 
ble: the fruit set remarkably well. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 299 

Syrian, white, lias very large bunches, sometimes 
weighing twenty pounds. 

The descriptive list of grapes annexed will enable any 
one to select such sorts as his taste may dictate. 

For a cold house, I would recommend the following, 
and in proportion to the number named to each sort. 
The most desirable are the first named : — 

Black Hamburgh, ten vines. 

Wilmot's new Black Hamburgh, ten vines. 

Wilmot's No. 16, ten vines. This may prove no bet- 
ter than the old variety. 

Victoria Hamburgh, ten vines. 

White Frontignan, two vines. 

Grizzly Frontignan, two vines. 

Pitmaston White Cluster, one vine, 

Oolden Chasselas, two vines. 

Chasselas de Bar Sur Aube, one vine, 

Kose Chasselas, one fine. 

Hed Chasselas, one vine. 

White Gascoigne, one vine. 

Eoyal Muscadine, one vine. 

Ked Traminer, one vine. 

White Rissling, one vine. 

Macready's Early White. 

The last seven are equally valuable, and there are 
many others as much so, as may be seen by referring to 
the varieties. 

For a forcing-house : — 

The Black Hamburghs, in variety. 

The Red, and the Rose Chasselas. 

Chasselas de Bar Sur Aube. 



800 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

White Frontignan. 

Black Frontignan. 

Grizzly Frontignan. 

Pitmaston White Cluster. 

Golden Chasselas, 

White Gascoigne. 

Royal Muscadine. 

Muscat of Alexandria, 

Tottenham Park, 

Zinfindal. 

Cannon Hall Muscat. 

Ked Traminer. 

Macready's Early White. 

The Early Elack July may be added, if it is desired 
to get early gr?-pes ; this is a small grape, of a pleasant 
flavor, but no earlier than the Pitmaston, and only de- 
sirable for its color. They will both, if planted in the 
warmest situation, come on together, and much before 
the Black Hamburgh. The Grizzly Frontignan and 
Golden Chasselas are both very early. 

These lists embrace a good number of the best varie- 
ties ; there are several new kinds well spoken of, but 
which have not been sufficiently tried, in this country, 
to prove their qualities. The Chasselas Musque cracks 
very much, thus far, and, if it should habitually do so, 
will not be worth cultivation. The Muscat Blanc Hatif 
(Early White Muscat,) is particularly recommended 
abroad ; but this has proved to be the same as the Chas- 
selas Musque. 

There are five or six more kinds which will be fully 
proved in two or three years, but it is hardly probable 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 301 

there will be any thing better produced, for cultivation 
under glass, than the best of the old kinds named above. 
For large collections, almost any number of kinds may 
be added. The Garden of the Luxembourg, at Paris, 
numbers about five hundred varieties, many of them 
worthless, and a great number only differing very little 
in foliage, or in the time of ripening. 

LuxeinbouTg Gardens^ Paris. — " Grape vines occupy 
a prominent part in this horticultural school, the kinds 
being very numerous, and the plants taking up a consid- 
erable proportion of the ground. Here are now assem- 
bled all the varieties of vine known to be cultivated in 
France, or, I may say, in Europe. To the best of my 
recollection, nearly three hundred varieties are named, 
and as many more without names, which are regarded 
by M. Bosc as possessing characters sufficiently marked 
to entitle them to rank as distinct.^" In general, there is 
only one plant of each variety ; but the Chasselas de 
Fontainebleau is an exception, there being a long row of 
this on one side of the garden. It is the favorite variety, 
and has been justly styled the ' raisin de table par excel- 
lence,' of the French. At Fontainebleau, the vines grow 
on a light sandy soil, and the grapes are sweeter than 
those produced on a heavy soil. 

The varieties of table grapes are few in number, per- 
haps scarcely exceeding twenty ; the great mass of kinds 
consisting of sorts cultivated in the vignobles, in the 
various departments of France, in Italy, Spain, and Ger- 
many. Many of these approach in character very near 

* Under Napoleon, Chaptal collected in this garden fourteen hundred 
varieties. 



■^ 



302 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

to eacli other; and it frequently happens, as with our 
orchard fruits, that the same kind is known under differ- 
ent names in different districts." — Horticultural Tour^ 
Edinourgli. 

The following list^'" contains the new varieties, with the 
valuable older ones recently brought to notice, part of 
which have not yet been j)roved in this country : — 

T Black HamhurgJi. — The bunches are large and 
shouldered, the berries black and roundish ; it is un- 
necessary to say more, as it is universally known to be 
the best variety for general cultivation under glass. 

^ JEschouata Micscat. — This is a seedling of the Mus- 
cat of Alexandria. This variety, which Mr. Thompson 
makes a synonyme of the Muscat of Alexandria, was 
shown at the exhibition of the London Horticultural So- 
ciety, September, 1817. Although distinct, it is said to 
resemble that variety ; the berries have a pink tinge. 
The Esperione is supposed to have been one of its parents. 
This grape was brought into notice by Mr. Money. It 
keeps well. 

^ CJiasselas MusquS. ■ White. — Cracks badly ; but, 
when grown in a part of the grapery where there is a 
free circulation of air, it does well in usual seasons. At 
Enghien, seat of the Due d'Aremberg, " we found the 
Chasselas Musque trained along the front of the house 
possessed by the chamberlain, and we were told that, be- 
fore the end of October, the grapes seldom fail to ripen 
fully, and to acquire their musky flavor." — Hort. Tour^ 
Edinburgh, 1823. 

* The grapes marked with a % have been proved in this country to be 
true to the description. 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. -303 

T Cannon Hall Muscat — Sets badly ;^' requires arti- 
ficia] impregnation ; the berries are white, large and 
very handsome, and high flavored. A late variety. 

T Bloom Raisin Seedling. — A coarse late white varie- 
ty ; sets badly. 

T" Wilmofs Neio Black Hairiburgli. — Has large, 
round, very black berries, with a hammered appearance. 
It is uncertain in quality, often fine, but as often too as- 
tringent; it requires always to hang long after it has 
colored, before cutting ; in a poor situation it does not 
set well. 

Tf Wilmofs iVc». 16. — Has proved fine ; it is a variety 
of the Black Hamburgh, and often cannot be distin- 
guished from it. 

Blussard Noir. 

T Chasselas Ilatif Petit. — Too small to be worthy of 
cultivation. 

T[ White Hamburgh. — A very handsome grape, with 
large bunches ; the berries are oval ; it is of second 
quality. 

Tf Pitmaston White Cluster. — A very fine early varie- 
ty ; the bunch is of a medium size, the berries are round 
and compact; this is a desirable variety. The Scotch 
"White Cluster is the same as this, or very much like it. 

1" Black Lomhardy. — A fine late grape ; this is the 
same as West's St. Peter's ; esteemed by those- who pre- 
fer a sprightly flavor mingled with the sweet. 

* When a vine in the spring has fruit clusters in large numbers on the 
young shoots, it is said to "show fruit well." A vine may do this and yet 
be an unproductive variety, — as in the blossom, some kinds, under unfavor- 
able circumstances, do not set their fruit; that is, the seed is not impregua-_ 
ted, and, when this is the case, the berry remains small. 



804 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

T Victoria Hamiburgh. — This is said to be a syno- 
nyme of the old kind ; but there have been specimens 
exhibited which certainly appeared different. This va- 
riety is now reported as exhibited in England, and there 
is no doubt that it is an improved variety of the old 
Hamburgh. 

T" Muscat of Lunel. — This is a variety of the Muscat 
of Alexandria, grown in a district of France, and with 
smaller berries. 

T" Tolcay^ Gharlsioortli. — Excellent, with a Muscat fla- 
vor. The Gardeners' Chronicle for 1847, page 624, says, 
perhaps it is not different from the "White Muscat of 
Alexandria. The grape which I received under this 
name from England is more like the White Frontignan, 
but one month later than that kind 

^ Worthy Hall Seedling. — A good, and very late 
grape, with oval black berries ; subject to crack, in some 
seasons. 

T Bed Traminer. — Good, with small round berries ; 
has twenty synonymes. A much esteemed wine grape 
on the river Maine. 

T" Rissling WA^'^^.-Eipens in the open air ; the berries 
are small, and the flavor good. This is much esteemed 
as a wine grape near the Rhine ; it has twenty-two syno- 
nymes. 

Tf Blach Trijyoli. — Has round berries, not unlike the 
Black Hamburgh. 

T Blach Prolific. — Has round berries, with large 
bunches. It is good, but does not keep well, and ripens 
unequally. 

T[ Palestine Grape. — The bunches of this variety are 



THE CULTURE OF THE GilAPE. 805 

enormous, and the berries are oval, small, and white ; 
the shoulders, or stems, are very long, and the berries 
are in clusters, at long intervals ; by no means a valuable 
grape. 

Suabi. 

Liverden. 

Fromental. 

T Florentine. — ^Yery like Black July. 

Falanchina. 

T August Muscat. — A seedling raised by M. Yibert, 
of Angers, in France, from the grape called there the 
Frankantal, {supposed to he what we call the Blach Ham- 
hurgh^ as it usually proves so., when ordered fro'iTh 
France /) it is a very weak growing vine ; the fruit is 
black, of Muscat flavor, and is said to mature its fruit 
earlier than any other grape ; a vine in my grapery has 
fruited the past summer, and the fruit was small and 
poor. It is undoubtedly the earliest grape grown, and 
will ripen its fruit, when highly forced, in three months. 

T Malvasia., Early White. — This is very like the Pit- 
maston. 

T Golden Chasselas. — Has a very large round berry, 
with a large bunch, and is very handsome ; sets poorly 
and cracks ; ripens early, before the other Chasselas 
kinds. This grape varies more than any other sort in 
its ripening. Vines, raised from the same plant, grown 
by myself, and never out of my premises, and equally 
well situated in a cold grapery, differ twenty days in 
the time of ripening their fruit this season of 1848. 

Aleppo. — Tiie bunches are large ; it is a good bearer, 



806 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

and a good grape ; the berries often equally divided, one 
half being black, and the other half white. Thompson 
gives eight synonymes, and Prince nine of this. 

^ White Nice, — Has very large bunches, with small 
berries. The quality is good. The bunches are very 
like the Eoyal Muscadine. 

\ Esj)erione. — The berries are small and black, and 
the bunches very large, of third quality. 

TT Bed Chasselas. — This is a good bearer with a fine 
flavor ; the berries are as large as those of the Bar Sur 
Aube. This may be distinguished from the Rose, or 
Yiolet Chasselas, from the singularity of the berries, 
which are colored from their first formation ; at matu- 
rity, it is sometimes highly colored, but, not unfrequently, 
is of a pale red ; the young shoots are bright red. 

^ Grosse Noiv of Lorraine. — A vine sent me as this, 
has proved very like Black July. 

^ DecorCs Superl). — A white grape with oval berries, 
very handsome, but ripens badly ; half the fruit is often 
sour and worthless. 

T Prince Albert. — This variety will fruit this season 
in this country. " Royal Albert grape forms a large, 
rather loosely shouldered bunch, with black, somewhat 
oval berries, and is later than the Black Hamburgh. It 
requires to be compared with the large Black Ferrar, for 
probably, it may be found not different." — Gardeners* 
Chronicle.^ 1846, page 344. It is distinct from the va- 
riety grown by this name here. 

^f Queen of Nice. — This is a handsome fruit, with 
large bunches and berries, but it is said to be a small 
bearer ; the berries are white, or greenish, and tinged 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 807 

with ti red or rose color, and, when exposed to the snn, 
more liighly colored. This proves a shy bearer in the 
forcing house, bat has done well in the retarding. 

^ Violet Muscat. — A grape by this name, fruited by 
me, has oval berries, but no Muscat flavor, and a poor 
bearer. 

T Grosse Perle Blanche. — Sets badly, and has no par- 
ticular value, with oval white berries. 

T" Xeres. — This has proved to be the same as White 
[N'ice. 

IT Black Morse — Is like Black Hamburgh. 

T PuTjple Muscat. — Has not the flavor of the Muscat, 
and is a poor bearer ; sets badly. 

TT Austrian Muscat. — Is not unlike the Grizzly ; in 
flavor and color, it promises to be fine ; the berry, when 
growing, is oval, and changes to round, or nearly so, at 
maturity. 

^ S. Charges Henling. — A black variety ; the berries 
are very small, of good flavor, and" remain sound for a 
long time after maturity. 

®[ Portien JSfoir. — A large roundish, black grape ; re- 
markal)ly handsome, of peculiar flavor, and very late. 

^ Gros Goulard. — Has large white grapes and is early, 
ripened its fruit in my grapery in 1852. 

T[ Bishop. — Is very like the Portien E'oir. 

8t. Peter'^8 of Aliers. — ^The berries are large and 
oval. 

1 Cailldbee. — A white sweet water, of no value for 
grapery. 

Partridge Foot. 



808 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

^[ Garden Tohay. — Red, with small, but very sweet 
and rich sweet water flavored berries. 

T Ilansteretto. — Black ; does not set well ; this has 
oval berries. JSTot worth cultivation. 

Black Muscat of Alexandria. 

Red Cliasselas of Yiberi. — This is supposed to be a 
hybrid of the Isabella and Chasselas. 

T Chajptal. — ^This is another seedling of M. Yibert, 
with large, white, oval berries. Sets very badly, and 
worthless for forcing. 

Madelaine of Yibert. — Has berries of medium size and 
oval. 

Grosse Perle BlancTie de Semis. — Seedling of Yibert ; 
said to have very large bunches, and the berries un- 
commonly large and nearly round. Two other varieties, 
from seed, by M. Yibert, with black-colored fruit, which 
he calls Nos. 3 and 4, are early ; but, as he does not 
mention them as particularly good, it may be presumed 
that their quality is not remarkable. 

T Lomhardy Red. — ^This is a late grape, with very 
large bunches, and is the same as the flame-colored 
Tokay. 

T Zinfindal. — The bunches are large, often with two 
shoulders on the same side nearly as large as the main 
bunch ; the berries are medium size, round, and very 
black, with a thick bloom; requires to hang several 
weeks after coloring before it is ripe. I cannot find this 
grape described in any book. Prince, in his treatise, 
mentions, as a new grape from Hungary, one named Zin- 
fardel ; this may be the same. 

T Black Damascus. — The berries are large, oval, and 



THE CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 809 

of a black color ; does not set well, otherwise it would 
be a most valuable kind. 

T DiUch Sweetwater. — The berries are large, round, 
and of a white color ; when exposed to the sun, of a 
russet tinge ; it is a pleasant grape.* 

T White Tolcay. — The berries incline to an oval 
figure ; in flavor, like the Chasselas. The underside of 
the leaf has a fine down. ITot so early as the Chasselas ; 
shrivels badlv. 

T" Raisin de Caldbre. — A white grape of a musk 
flavor, valuable for hanging late. 

T" Black Morocco. — The bunches are large, and dark 
red or black ; the berries are oval ; it is of second qua- 
lity, sets badly. 

T Muscat of Alexandria. — ^The bunches are large, and 
the berries are loose, oval, and when perfectly ripe, of 
an amber color ; the flesh is crisp,* and highly flavored ; 
it does not set well, and requires artificial impregnation. 
A late variety. 

T" Tottenham Parle Muscat^ White. — Is like the above, 
but sets its fruit better. !Not so highly musk flavored. 

T" Sweetwater.^ White. — ^The bunch is open, the berries 
are round, the skin is thin ; this is a good grape, but 
does not always set well. 

^ Syrian .^ White.— Th.Q bunches are very large, some- 
times weighing twenty pounds. The berries are oval, 
and the flesh firm, and, when allowed to hang until of 
an amber color, ver}'- good. It requires a long time, with 
much heat, to perfect its fruit. 

* A grape, under the name of the " New Dutch Sweetwater," was ex- 
hibited at the Horticultural Society's Room, London, April 20th, 1847. 



310 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

^ YerdclTio. — This is a small, oval, white grape, of the 
finest quality. The vine is a very strong grower, and 
bears great crops. It is a favorite variety for the table, 
as well as for wine in Madeira and the Azores. It is a 
later grape, than the Black Hamburgh. 

Blanche. — Is an early sort, with greenish white, and 
oval berries, thin skinned and sweet. 

T White GasGoignc. — A fine white grape ; the bunches 
are quite large and compact, with shoulders ; the berries 
are inclining to oval, are subject to crack in moist wea- 
ther, and do not keep well after fully ripe. 

Bordelais or Boiirdelas. — A very delicate grape that 
requires a high temperature, and a long season to bring 
it to maturity ; the berries are oblong, and the bunches 
are very large. 

^ Muscat Blanc Ilatif. — A grape by this name, lately 
received as a new kind from France, has proved the 
Chasselas Musque. 

Blach Tokay. — A wine ^rape. 

Alexandrian Ciotat. — The bunches are large ; the ber- 
ries are white, of an oval form, with a thin skin. This is 
a sweet grape, but sets badly ; do not think it worthy a 
place in a grapery, but it may prove valuable, for open 
culture, in the southern States. 

% Blach Cluster. — The bunches and berries are small ; 
the latter vary in shape, — oval and round are usually 
found in the same bunch ; they grow very close together, 
(as is the case with all cluster grapes,) and often, by their 
own pressure, burst the skin,' causing rot, which soon 
spreads through the whole bunch. 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 811 

T" Blach July. — Yery mucli like the Black Cluster. 
An early variety. 

T Miller's Biorgimdy. — The fruit is like the two pre- 
ceding, but it is distinguishable from the above by the 
white down on its leaves, from the mealy appearance of 
which it has derived its name. Of the three preceding 
varieties, Mr. Thom.pson gives eighty-four sj^nonymes, 
and adds two varieties as distinct : the Scarlet-leaved. 
Black Cluster, a wine grape of poor quality, and the 
Black Cluster, nice, which he represents as loose grow- 
ing. These three, the Black Cluster, the Black July, 
and Miller's Burgundy, so far as the fruit is concerned, 
may be considered the same ; they color early and ra- 
pidly, and, when perfectly black, are as sour as any one 
could wish ; by hanging four or five weeks, they become 
very good ; but they are so small, and require so much 
thinning, and usually having five large seeds, that they 
can hardly be deemed worthy a place in the grapery. 

T Blach Prince. — The bunches are long, and often 
shouldered ; the berries are oval, of a good size, and 
color well ; this is a good grape ; it sometimes cracks ; 
the skin is thick, and, in this respect, is inferior to the 
Black St. Peter's. It sometimes keeps well on the vine ; 
at other seasons it rots badly. 

^ Black St. Peter's. — The bunches are large, long, and 
sometimes shouldered; the berries color well, and have 
a thin skin ; this grape also sometimes cracks. It hangs 
well after it is ripe, and is, on this account, one of the 
most valuable grown in the grapery. I find the keeping 
qualities of this grape uncertain ; it some years decays 
suddenly after it is fully ripe. 



S12 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

^ White Bual. — The bnncli is compact ; the berries 
obovate, white, and thick skinned ; late and good. 

KnigMs Variegated Cliasselas. — This is said to re- 
semble the Aleppo ; the bmiches are loose, and the ber- 
ries are round and sweet, with a thin skin ; it is of second 
quality. 

If Cliasselas^ Rose or Violet — This is a good grape ; 
in the appearance of the bunch, and in every other re- 
spect but color, resembling the Chasselas of Fontaine- 
bleau ; when ripe, it is of a rich red, or rose color. 

T Chasselas cle Bar Sur Aiibe. — This grape has very 
large long bunches ; the berries are round, of medium 
size, and, when fully ripe, of an amber color. When 
pruned upon the long-cane system, I have had bunches 
measuring fourteen inches in length ; it seldom shoulders. 

^ Chasselas of Fontahiebleau and the White Chas- 
selas^ appear to be alike in every particular. They differ 
from the above in the shape of the bunch, which is often 
shouldered. 

^ Royal Muscadine. — This grape, in respect to the 
size, color, and flavor of the fruit, or berrj, corresponds 
exactly with the Chasselas de Bar Sur Aube, Chasselas 
of Fontainebleau, and with the Early White Muscadine 
of the French, j^et, in the size of the bunch, it is quite 
distinct ; the Royal Muscadine growing to a very large 
size, and having large shoulders, the bunches often weigh- 
ing four, five, and six pounds. 

^ Early White Muscadine. — This is a variety of the 
Chasselas, and in no way distinguishable from the White, 
or Chasselas of Fontainebleau, except in the time of 
ripening, which may be ten days earlier. I have culti- 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 313 

vated several other varieties of French grapes, sent over 
as distinct, but cannot discover any difference in them 
from the above ; all the White Chasselas grapes, when 
perfectly matured, change to a golden, or amber hue, 
if grown in a situation fully exposed to the sun. Mr. 
Thompson gives twelve synonymes of this grape, and 
classes the Cliasselas of Fontainebleau and "White Chasse- 
las with them. But there is no question that the grapes, 
cultivated in this country under the names of Royal 
Muscadine and Chasselas de Fontainebleau, are quite 
distinct. 

•f Josling^s St. Alhaii's. — Has proved to be Chasselas 
Musque. 

Sahihee. — An East Indian variety, introduced to the 
Horticultural Society's Garden, Turnham Green, by Col. 
Sykes. It is stated to be an abundant bearer. The 
bunches are said to be large, shouldered like the Black 
Hamburgh, and quite as handsome ; the berries are oval, 
about the size of the Muscats, without that flavor, and 
have a fine rosy tinge on the side next the sun. — Garden- 
ers^ Chronicle^ 1847, page 511. The color of this grape 
corresponds somewhat with that of the grape described 
as Queen of Nice. 

T Bowker. — This is a grape raised in the garden of 

Joel Bowker, Esq., of Salem, Massachusetts, from the 

seed of the Bloom Raisin, imported from Malaga. It is 

a great bearer, the fruit handsome, the bunch large, 

closely set, berries roundish, inclining to oval, white, and 

of a pleasant flavor, without any musk. It is quite as 

handsome as the White Hamburgh, and a better fruit ; 

it succeeds best in a poor soil. 
14 



814: THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Corinth^ Black. — This is a small round grape, of 
second quality, from which is made the black currant of 
commerce. 

Corinth^ White, — ^This is also small ; the color is 
white ; from this grape is made the Sultana, or Seedless 
raisin. According to Mr. Thompson, there are fifteen 
sj'Uonymes of this. 

CornicTion Blanc. — A grape of second quality ; it is 
said to keep well ; the skin is thick, the flavor sweet, and 
the bunch large and loose ; form of the berries elliptical. 
Mr. Thompson gives fourteen synonymes of this variety, 
and Mr. Prince, five. 

T De CoAidolle. — ^This grape has a round berry, and is 
of a reddish color. It is valuable as a table fruit ; it 
ripened in my grapery in 1848, and has very large 
bunches. 

T Ferrav^ Black. — This grape was received from Por- 
tugal. The bunches are quite large ; the berries are oval, 
compact, and very black, of medium size ; the flavor is 
peculiar, not unlike that of the cherry ; the flesh is break- 
ing, or crisp ; it is not generally esteemed, but very much 
liked by some. It is a very handsome variety. 

T Black Froniignan. — ^This is a fine early grape, of 
Muscat flavor ; the bunch is long, the berry is round and 
black, and of medium size. Mr. Thompson gives thir- 
teen synonymes of it. 

Blue Frontignan. — This is a good grape of a slightly 
Muscat flavor ; the berries are roundish, and not so large 
as the Grizzly, or White Frontignan. The Yiolet Fron- 
tignan and Black Constantia are synonymes of this. 

\ Grizzly Fwntignan. — ^The bunches are of a good 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 315 

size ; the berries are round and colored, as the name de- 
signates ; it ripens early, and is one of the richest Mus- 
cat-flavored grapes. According to Mr. Thompson, there 
are thirteen synonymes to this. 

T White Frontignan, — This variety has bunches often 
quite large ; the berries are round, and, when fully ri- 
pened in an exposure to the sun, are of an amber color. 
The Black, White, and the Grizzly are, in flavor, very 
much alike, when grown under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances, so far as respects quality ; but, for a variety 
in color, it is desirable to have the three ; the Grizzly is 
the earliest of them. The synonymes are twenty-two in 
number. 

Gros Rouge de Provence. — The bunches are loose ; the 
berries roundish and black, and of second quality. 

PetersburgJi. — A black grape, with loose bunches ; the 
berries are round, the skin thick, and the flavor sweet. 

T" LecTimereh Seedling, — Has proved the same as Ma- 
cready's Early White. 

Grosse Guillaume. 

Longford^s Incomparable, 

ScMras. — ^This is said to be a very fine grape lately 
received from Persia. 

T" PoonaTi. — This is a large, late black grape, very 
handsome, and of second quality. 

T Morinet. — A grape recently received from France. 
It has a long, loose bunch, with oval, white berries ; 
fruited, in 1848, in the collection of Messrs. Hovey 
&Co. 

^Macready's Early White. — ^This is a new variety; 
it has been fruited the past few years. It is a whito 



816 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

grape, with an oval and rather small berry. I do not 
consider it any better than the Pitraaston. 

^ Portuguese Muscat. — A variety of the Muscat of 
Alexandria ; it is more musque-flavored, and sets its 
fruit better. 

Tf De RMnelander, — This is a white grape, and said 
to be hardy ; under glass, it has proved not unlike White 
Chasselas. 

T Cambridge Botanic Garden Grajpe. — This fruit is 
black, and esteemed by many as quite equal to the Black 
Hamburgh ; it has been fruited in this country by R. 
L. Colt, Esq., of Paterson, IST.J. 

Barharossa. — This is a new black grape, advertised 
for sale in England. It is represented as having berries 
as large as the Hamburgh. 

T Gross Bleu. — A new grape, very like the Black 
Hamburgh. Messrs. Hovey, who have fruited it, state 
the foliage to be quite different, however. 

T Gross Gromier du Cantal. — Parsons & Co.^ of 
Flushing, near New York, have fruited this variety. 
They represent it as of second quality, but a great 
bearer ; color, foxy purple ; berries a little larger than 
the Red Chasselas. From the first description of this 
new grape in Europe, I have been of opinion, that it 
would prove a synonyme of De Candolle, or Flame 
Colored Tokay. 

Tf Chasselas de Florence. — This new grape was proved 
in Hartford, Conn., last season, (1852,) in the grapery of 
Charles L. Porter, Esq. This gentleman says, " It is a 
fine Chasselas, equal, perhaps, to the Bar Sur Aube, and 
of the same character." 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 317 

T" Muscat Fleur d^ Orange. — This grape came from 
the French gardeners, who spoke of it as the best of all 
Muscats. So far as the first year's trial is any evidence, 
it is hardly worth cultivation. The berries are oval, 
with a little musky flavor ; skin less thick than the Mas- 
cat of Alexandria, color the same. It cracks a good 
deal, and seems to partake of the character of the 
Musque Chasselas. This fruited in 1852, in the collec- 
tion of Mr. Porter, who furnished me with the above 
descriptions. 

Bronze Grajpe. — This name is given to a fruit seen and 
eaten in Syria by J. Y. C. Smith, M.D., of Boston, who 
saved the seed and brought them to this country^, pre- 
senting them to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 
for distribution. I raised several vines from the seed 
coming to me. Having compared the foliage with the 
Syrian, Muscat of Alexandria, and Queen of Nice, kinds 
which I thought it most probable to be, find it quite un- 
like either of them, and the chances are in favor of ob- 
taining a new and valuable variety. 

^Musqui Verdel. — ^This is a seedling of my own, a 
cross, naturally, of Verdelho and Grizzly Frontignan, and 
partakes of the marked peculiarities of these grapes, 
being musque-flavored, and having the thin, rich pulp of 
the Yerdelho. Thus far, the berry has been rather 
small, under size, but as it yearly improves, hope it may 
prove valuable. 

Seedlings.— 1 have maay seedlings not named, that 
have fruited the past years of 1850, to 1852, inclusive. 
They resemble the White Chasselas and Black Ham- 
burgh, generally; one, from seed of Wilmot's Black 



318 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

Ilamburgli, is very handsome, but more sour than the 
original Mr. Amos W. Stetson, of East Bramtree, 
Mass, has many seedlings from the foreign varieties 
coming into fruit. This gentleman exhibited a bunch 
last season from seed of the Grizzly Frontignan, no 
doubt crossed with the Black Hamburgh. It ripened 
early ; was very black, medium sized, and of rich, 
sprightly musque flavor. Several other persons have 
seedling vines coming into bearing, and a few years will 
Bhow if we have anything to hope from these efforts of 
hybridizing. These same gentlemen have, many of them, 
Hybrid Grapes in bearing, or coming into fruit this sum- 
mer of 1853, of crosses between the Yitis Vinifera, or 
European sorts, and the Yitis Labrusca, or American 
species. Judging from the variety of wood and fohage of 
these new grapes, it does seem, that the prospect is very 
good, that we shall soon have native hardy grapes that 
will ripen in open culture. Some of these will be de- 
scribed in the list of American species. 

Yitis Labrijsca.— There are several American species 
of the grape, according to Prince; and the same author 
gives over one hundred varieties of this species. For 
general cultivation, the first two on the list are the most 
valuable ones. 

Isabella.— Tda^ is a native of South Carolina. Mr. 
Prince, in his Treatise ■on the Yine, says that this grape 
is named in honor of Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, who introduced 
it into cultivation in New York. The berries are black 
and oval ; the bunches are of a medium size ; it has a foxy 
flavor. 



THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 519 

Catawba, — ^This grape is said, by Mr. Adlum, to be 
a native of Maryland. It is one of the hardiest and most 
productive of the American varieties. The berries are 
red, or purple, inclining to black. These two varieties 
are now so extensively cultivated, and their good qualities 
as table fruit and for wine are so well established, that it 
is unnecessary to say more of them. It also has the foxy 
flavor, and requires a longer season than the Isabella. 

Bland. — This is one of the best native grapes. It has 
less of the foxy flavor than the Isabella and Catawba ; it 
is not a great bearer, and will not ripen \xs. Massachusetts. 

Dia'iia. — A seedling raised in Massachusetts from the 
Catawba. It resembles its parent, and is ten days earlier, 
and will ripen in seasons when the Isabella and Catawba, 
similarly situated, will not; a strong recommendation in 
its favor. 

JElsingburgJi. — A good flavored, very small grape. 
This is valued by many for the table ; it is free from the 
foxy flavor. 

Lenoir. — A very excellent table grape ; perhaps supe- 
rior to any of those described. It is believed to be a 
seedling of the Burgundy grape. It has very much the 
habit of a foreign vine. The bunches are very handsome, 
large, compact, and not much shouldered." — Downing' s 
Fruits and Fruit Trees of America. This grape is not 
known much in Massachusetts. 

Nortonh Virginia. — Yitis Wortoni.^ Prince^ (small. 
A native of Richmond, Virginia ; said to be a cross be- 
tween the Bland and Miller's Burgundy ; it was raised 
by Dr. IST. Norton. Mr. Downing says it is very produc- 
tive in the garden, or vineyard, es23ecially at the south. 



820 THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 

where many kinds rot. In Massachusetts, it is a small 
bearer compared with the Isabella ; this may be owing 
to the wood of the vine not ripening perfectly, in conse- 
quence of the shortness of the season. 

Ohio.— This grape has been introduced into cultivation 
by ]Sr. Longworth, Esq., of Cincinnati. The bunches are 
large and long, the berries small, round, and black, the 
flesh tender, juicy and sweet. 

Scupjpernong . — Is a distinct species found growing wild 
from Virginia to Florida ; there are two kinds, the black 
and white. The bunches are small, usually of five or six 
berries, which are large and round. It is quite tender, 
and will not live at the north. See description of this in 
North Carolina vineyard account, and in Florida vineyard 
culture. The Honorable A. G. Semmes, of Quincy, Flori- 
da, says this grape is a native of Greece, and is known 
there as the Alaric^ and that the richest wines are made 
from it. 

Ifissowi. — Vitis Missouriensis^ Prince, A grape 
used for making wine in Ohio. 

Herhemonfs Madeira. — Used also for making wine. 

Alexander'^s. — A wine grape, native of Pennsylvania. 

Sage. — This grape was found by Mr. Henry E. Sage, of 
Portland, Connecticut, growing wild on the margin of a 
small stream, and was removed by him to his garden, as 
early as 1811. It is represented to be near a lilac color. 
From Mr. William Leonard, of the Shaker Society, I re- 
ceived two vines, and an account of the fruit and of the 
well-established reputation which it has in the vicinity 
where it was found. Mr. Leonard made a visit to the 
place, and saw the plant in fruit; he measured some 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 821 

berries, which lie found four inches in circumference. 
At the nurseries of the Shaker Society, Harvard, vines 
of this grape may be found on sale, and, probably, at the 
farm of Mr. Sage, Portland, Connecticut. The foliage 
blighted badly in my garden in July, 1848. In the au- 
tumn of 1852, Mr. Sage sent me a quantity of the fruit 
of this vine. It is the best Fox Grape I have ever eaten, 
and, when fully ripe, has but little pulp. It, will be 
esteemed by those fond of the peculiar flavor of our 
native grapes, and disliked by others of opposing tastes.* 

* The following are extracts from two letters of Mr. Sage to Mr. Leonard, 
giving its history, etc. : — 

'■'■Portland, Oct. \st, 1846. — The vine was taken from the margin of a 
small stream, in quite a secluded spot, some thirty-five years since, and has 
been a constant bearer many seasons, yielding in great profusion. 

*' Perhaps I shall be considered selfish, but must say the}'- are the richest 
flavored grapes I have ever tasted. The pulp is very soft and juicy. They 
commenced ripening about two weeks since, and are now dead ripe ; they 
will not drop from the vine when ripe, as many grapes do, but will remain 
(unless gathered,) until they get perfectly dry, and their flavor is so very 
rich, that a few bunches, in a room, will perfume it for months. For mak- 
ing jelly they are not surpassed. H. E. Sage." 

" Portland.! April 8th, 184:8. — I this day received your line requesting in- 
formation about the ' Sage Grape.' In answer to your- inquiry, 'Is it a 
great and constant bearer?' I would say it is a constant bearer, and would 
bo a prolific one, were it not for the rose bugs, which have almost wholly 
destroyed them for some years ; it always blossoms fidl, and, just at this 
stage, the bugs appear to make tlieir havoc. 

*' Seasons when not destroyed, the vine has been borne down with the 
fruit, probably as many as twenty bushels have been gathered from the 
vine which you saw; the bunches, in such seasons, are large and full; the 
berries very round, and their average girth three inches, and many of them 
much larger. 

" The soil of my garden is rather of a dry, loamy nature, and brings forth 
vegetation pretty early. I have never used any kind of manure for my 
vine, and have scarcely taken the trouble to build a place for it to run 
upon. 

"I would recommend rather a dry soil for its cultivation, and in a situa* 
14* 



822 THE^ CULTUKE OF THE GRAPE. 

Shurtleff'^s Seedling. — ^Tlie description of this grape is 
in the words of Dr. Shurtleff, who furnished the account, 
at my request, for^ this purpose. A gentleman who 
fruited this last year, represented it as being very good. 

" It came up in my garden in Brookline, in 183T. The 
plant was of a delicate and slow growth ; it fruited on the 
fourth year, and,. on the fifth, it bore about fonr quarts of 
grapes of sujDcrior flavor ; and the berry was of a good 
size, perfectly round, about the size of a Muscadine; the 
bunches of moderate bigness, and well set {unlike the wild 
fox grape) ; the stem pressed out like the Isabella ; the 
color black, with a peculiar ray, like the spokes of a wheel, 
running from the stem to the eye of a lighter shade, the 
whole grape covered with a bloom ; it puts out two or 
three weeks later than the Isabella, and ripens two or 
three weeks earlier. The vine is a small grower, and 
lives with me without protection ; it is situated on a 
southeast angle of my house. The third year of bearing, 
it was, unfortunately, split near the ground, and the pros- 
pect of a good crop blasted. I have several young vines 
which will probably bear this year. The fruit is free from 
any foxy taste or ' pulp. I think it far superior to any 
native grape that I have seen. I do not know from what 
seed it originated, whether from native or imported ; it 

tion where the sun would strike it fair; the south side of a building would 
be'preferable, and, if the soil is rich, I think it will do as well without ma- 
nure as with it. I beheve the dryer the soil, the sweeter will be the fruit. 

" A vine which was cultivated from a plant from my garden, four years 
ago, bore profusely last season, and flourishes beyond calculation ; it is 
placed on the south side of a house, and forms an arbor to the entrance of 
two tenements. 

"In great haste, dear sir, I beheve I have answered your mquiries, 

" Henry E. Sagi;."' 



THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 323 

appears to partake of the Sweetwater and Isabella in its 
rich flavor. S. A. Shuetleff." 

The foliage of this grape would indicate that it originated 
from an American variety. 

Dr. Shnrtleff has another grape. It originated at Car- 
ver, on a farm belonging to this gentleman (and which 
has always been in the possession of his ancestors, since 
the settlement of the country). It was found in the 
woods, far from any other vine. The foliage indicates 
this to be a seedling from an American variety. 

Naumlieag . — A seedling grape raised from the Isabella 
by Mr, Bowker, of Salem, which fruited, the first time, 
(in 1848,) appears to have good qualities. It bore a large 
crop, which ripened rather earlier than its parent ; the 
bunches resemble it in form and flavor; it has a pulp 
also ; the berries are above medium size, round, and of a 
clear red, with a slight bloom. 

Mr. Amos W. Stetson, of East Braintree, Massachusetts, 
has several seedling vines of promise ; they are hybrids. 
The female plant used, being a large native red grape of 
the forest, impregnated with the pollen of Black Ham- 
burgh, Sweetwater, Catawba and Isabella. 

He numbers them one to six. Number four ripened 
its fruit early in September, fourteen days sooner than the 
Isabella ; they are represented as being very hardy, great 
growers, and very prolific. The fruit resembles the Isa- 
bella, the bunch and berry being in shape and size like 
it. The fox flavor of the native is retained, probably in 
a greater degree than most people would like. 

Another cross upon this, of the foreign kinds, would 
♦ probably produce a hardy fruit, with less of this fox flavor, 



S24 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

and the seeds of it, without foreign impregnation, would, 
most likely, yield other varieties, as a fruit, when it has 
once sported from the original, is almost sure to continue, 
generation to generation^ to do so. 

Early Amler^ is the name given to a native grape re- 
cently brought to notice by the Shakers at their nurseries, 
Harvard. The specimens of fruit sent me, closely resem- 
bled the Eose Chasselas, and were free of pulp and fox 
flavor. It is the best native fruit that I have yet met 
with. It is said to be hardy, not subject to mildew, and 
several weeks earlier than the Isabella. If, on extensive 
trial, all this prove true, we have an invaluable acquisition. 

Wm. W. Talk, M.D., of Flushing, Long Island, E'ew 
York, has succeeded in raising a grape of much promise, 
by hybridization. He fertilised the Bkick Hamburgh 
with the pollen of the Isabella, differing from the plan 
pursued by Mr. Stetson and myself. "We used the Isa- 
bella and native wild grape as the female, and fertilised 
Yvith the Black Hamburgh and other foreign kinds. 

Dr. Yalk says it is hardy, the fruit is thin skinned, with 
a soft and pleasant pulp, wholly unlike the Isabella, and 
equal to tlie Hamburgh in every thing but size. The 
foliage resembles the Hamburgh, though some think it 
distinct. 

There are several other native American seedlings in 
this vicinity, which are recommended by persons who 
have eaten the fruit. As they have not been proved in 
garden cultivation, it is deejaied best not to enumerate 
them. 



THE CULTUEE Or THE GRAPE. S25 



COITCLUSIOK. 



The grape vine, in Italy, and in Spain, and the islands 
of the Mediterranean, as also in its native position, is 
found to be a plant attaining great age and size ; not- 
withstanding this, the cultivators of France have so 
changed its characteristics, that, in some districts there, 
by their skill, you may find it brought almost to the con- 
dition of an annual ; two or three years being the usual 
time at which they are renewed by layering, and being 
so close, that it is with difficulty you can pass among 
them. 

With regard to soil, they present as striking a contrast ; 
they are successfully cultivated in vineyards, where there 
appears scarcely soil sufficient to retain moisture enough 
to keep life in the plant ; vineyards, enjoying equally 
good reputations, are situated where the soil is a rich 
loam. 

Climate and exposition, as well as soil and manure, 
have a great bearing on this cultivation What these 



826 THE CULTURE OF THE GEAPE. 

effects are, I trust, has been (in the language of others, 
and bj notes of my own,) made sufficiently intelligible 
to be made of practical utility. If this has been ac- 
complished, my object in preparing this Treatise has 
been attained. That the cultivation of the grape, in 
these United States, is to be vastly increased, there can 
be no question. How far European theories and modes 
of cultivation may be suitable here, is yet to be proved. 
That the grape is susceptible of an almost endless di- 
versity of the modes of cultivation, has been fully es- 
tablished. 



INDEX. 



FACE 

Bones, good effect of, . . . . . .252 

Border, compost for, (See Soils for grape-house borders,) . 45, 46 

covering for, . . 62, 65, 69, 81, 83, 94, 137, 140, 255 

drain for, . . . . . . 44, 71 

heating of, . . . . . 75,81,90,95 

preparation of, . . . . . 43, 53, 54, 65, 71 

renovation of, . . . . . 64, 110 

the growth of vines, and general effect of differently made 

borders, ..... 289, 290, 293 

Conclusion. ....... 325 

Difficulties of forcing in winter in New England, . 7, 139, 140 

Diseases of the grape vine : — effect of over-cropping, . . 124 

effect of sudden changes, . 9 

mildew and blight, . . 119 

. rot, .... 209, 212 

rust, ..... 119 

shrivel, . . . 98 to 110, 124 

Drains for border, how made, ..... 44 

substitute for, ...... 89 

Florida culture, ....... 232 

Forcing the vine, ... 66, 77, 81, 114, 116, 122, 125 

difficulties of, . . . .8, 139, 140 

remarks on, . . . . 135 

rules for managing the forcing-house, 137 to 146 

Furnace, how constructed, . . . . .36 

view of, ..... . 40 

Glass, burning of the vine, ..... 258 

Glass-houses, cost of, . . . . . . 30, 32, 33, 34 

house for forcing, and the hot-house, difference in them, 135 
how constructed, . ... . .24 

of what form, . . . . . 21, 22 

view of lean-to house, . . . .31 

view of span-liouse, (frontispiece.) 



S28 I^"DEX. 

G-rapes, description of American varieties, . . . 318 to 321 

description oi' foreign varieties, . . . 297 to 318 

new kinds, how to raise, .... 149 

thinning of berries, . . . . 122, 123 

varieties for tlie cold grapery, . , . 299 

varieties for cultivation in the open air, 155, 158, 194, 19G, 197, 201, 

206, 212. 
varieties for cultivation at the south, . . . 207 

varieties for forcing-house, . . . . 299 

varieties for general planting, . . . .297 

varieties for the retarding-house, ... 297 

Grape-house, how situated, . . . . . 19, 20 

Grape vine, age of, . . . . . . 15 

age of, for planting, . . . . .112 

bleeding of, .... . 138 

composition wash for kilhng insects, . . . 120 

cultivation in the grapery for five years, . . 114 to 130 

cultivation in the open air, .... 155 

cultivation in the retarding-house, . . 147 

cultivation ofj in pots, ..... 145 

early fruiting of, . . . . . 86, 89 

forcing of, . . 66, 77, 80, 114, 116, 121, 136 to 147 

fruit, proper quantity to ripen, 122, 125, 130, 157, 247, 208, 

272. 273. 
grafting of, . . . 113,198,203,215 

history of. . . . . . .11 

how cultivated in the greenhouse, . . 120 

how protected in the grapery in winter, . 117, 120 

how raised, 73, 90, 218 

how to plant in grapery, (See Planting.) 

how to plant in the vineyard, . . . 179, 198, 202 

how to protect from the frost in the open air, . 15G 

how trained in grapery, (see Training.) . . 116 

how trained in the vineyard, 181, 195, 204, 213, 216, 217 

limit to its successful cultivation, . . 15,18,178 

pruning of, (See Pruning.) 

pruning, representation of, . . 115, 155, 219, 234 

rapid growth of, . . . . . 87 

remarkable for age or size, etc., . . 130, 134 

vineyard, cultivation of, in U. S., . . . 158 to 219 

vinoyavd cultivation, European systems, . 161 to 190 



INDEX. 329 

Grape vineyards, manuring o^ . . . 50, 186, 187 

watering of, . . . .77,116,121,122,14:1 

Guano, how to be used, ..... 146, 252 

Heating apparatus, advantages of a furnace when not intending to 



force, . ... 




134 


furnace, 




36 


hot-water pipe, . 




38, 140 


Polmaise system, 




39 


Insects, how to destroy, 




. 120, 127, 153 


injurious, 




120, 127. 145, 153, 199 


Introduction to first edition, 




7 


to third edition, . 




3 


Leaves never to be thinned. 




124 


Liquid manures, (See Manures.) 






Manures, do they affect the flavor of the fruit, 


253 


for the vine, 48 to 50, 54, 56 to 59, 


62, 72, 164, 166 to 175, 182 


to 187, 189, 190, 197. 






good or ill efiect of, 


. 


263, 293 


liquid, . 




. 51, 54, 58, 173 to 175, 293 


remarks on the use of, 




243 to 294 


slaughter-hourit, what it is, . 




61 


Mildew, remedy for, 


. 


. 118, 123, 156 


training to prevent, 




230 


what it is, 




119 


Planting, .... 




74, 111, 190 


at what age of the vine, , 


. 


113 


at what time, 




112, 113, 190 


Pruning, 75, 84, 120, 127 to 130, 140, 


147, 


157, 191, 213, 217, 219, 234 


different systems of pruning and 


training explained, 219, 234 


representation of. 




115, 155, 219 to 234 


Eain, quantity of, . , . 




89, 90 


Retarding-house, how to manage, . 


. 


147 


list of vines for. 


, 


296 


Shanking and shrivel, 


, 


98 to 111, 124, 125, 139 


Shells, the object in using, 




89, 90, 264, 265 


Soil, effect of dry or wet upon the vine, 


. 


195 


requisite for the vine. 




. 45, 46, 249 


Soils for grape-house borders, A . Porsyth, 


. 


53 


Abercrombie, 


172 


CM. Hovey, 


246 



Charles Mcintosh, . . 55 



830 



INDEX. 



Soils for grape-house borders, Clement Hoare, 

De la Quintinej, 

Gardeners' Chronicle, 

James Roberts, 

Jasper Wallace, 

John Rogers, 

Mr. Hutchison, 

Mr, Loudon, 

S.A.M., 

Speechly's, 
Soils for \dneyard3, 
Temperature of the forcing-house, 
of the grapery, 
of the greenhouse, 
Training, representation of, 

the vine, . . . 191, 

Trellis for the vine, how made. 

Underbill, Dr. R. T., letter from, ..... 
Vineyards, exposition for, .... 160, 161, 

Watering the vine, .... n, 116, 121, 122, 

Weather, difference of, . . • 



FAGE 

65 

56 

51, 58 to 18 

. 71, 12 

53 

53 

267 

54 

53 

47 

162 to 185, 188, 196, 217, 231 

137 to 146 

125, 126 

120 

. 115, 155, 219, 234 

195, 204, 213, 217, 219 to 234 

192, 205, 213 

240 

217 

141 

89 



3477 



